Haikyuu!: A different story
by sobasicallyme
Summary: That was the first time she cried in front of people, so she swore that it would be the last. She wouldn't grab a ball anymore. Because she had made an effort, she had given everything she had and, despite of winning, she felt like she had lost the game
1. Prologue

**A/N: So, here it is! The prologue of this new Haikyuu fan fiction!**

 **First of all, I want to apologize because, probably, there are a lot of grammar and spelling mistakes. I'm not English, so you can imagine how hard this has been to me. But I promise I'll keep prologue is very short, but the chapters will be longer. And, of course, our lovely volleydorks are going to appear in this story, but it's going to have a different view from the original one. The main protagonists are the girls of the Karasuno's volleyball team. We don't know much about it, so there's going to be a lot of OCs!**

 **Disclaimer: Haikyuu and its characters are not mine**

* * *

 **PROLOGUE**

She knew she had all eyes on her, but she didn't care because she was used to it. However, she could feel it, that odd feeling in her chest every time she had to serve. It was their chance. They only had to get one more point and they'll win.

She sighed before tossing the ball, she took two steps and, shouting, she hit it as hard as she could. The ball passed the net, but one of their opponents received it easily, so she clicked her tongue in annoyance. She didn't have to look at her teammate because she knew what she was thinking. It was always the same; she used to get too excited when they were so close to victory.

"Back!", she yelled expecting her teammate to hear it.

And she wasn't wrong.

The rival hit the ball with energy, so the spike could almost reach the bottom line of the field. It was her teammate the one who received the impact. The girl gritted her teeth, watching how the ball flew in the opposite direction. But she wasn't going to give up and wait for the next point. That wasn't her style. She jumped forward and, while her body touched the sand, so did it her hand with the ball.

"Now!"

Her teammate positioned herself in front of the net and she, knowing what was going to happen next, stood up as fast as she could to reach the net quickly. And then, she could see it. The ball right over her head. It was like the world had stopped for a moment. One more time, she yelled with rage, hitting the ball with her right hand. She didn't close her eyes, not even for a second, because she wanted to see it, she wanted to see the match point.

The ball touched the sand, next to the bottom line and, then, the referee blew the final whistle. The two girls yelled full of excitement, their eyes filled with tears. She let herself fall into the sand and soon she felt her teammate's body on top of hers, hugging her and telling her things her mind couldn't process in that moment.

"We have a winner team! They did it again! The most feared beach volleyball youth team in the United States! Noa McCormack and Elisabeth Thompson!"

The crowd clapped their hands after hearing the speaker's voice. As the team captain, she approached to the two other girls who played against them and she greeted them. After that, she just did the same with the referees and, as soon as she could, she met her teammate again.

"We did it, Lizzie!" she told her friend, taking her hands.

"We are the best beach volleyball youth team for third year in a row!" her friend answered her excited. "Do you know what that means, Noa? Talent scouts from the national team have come to watch us play!"

"That's because you're the best", the two girls turned their heads when they heard their coach's voice and they smiled. "You have a lot of work to do, but you could be in the national team very soon. They want you to start practicing with them just to make sure that you could make it to the Olympic Games one day"

"You are kidding, right, Gabriel?"

"I'm afraid I'm not", he laughed, so the two girls look at each other almost fainting. "By the way, Noa, before you receive your medals, your mom has come to see you"

"My mum?"

"I think you should find her as soon as possible"

She ran leaving behind the beach sand and she went into the crowd. She was searching her mum's golden hair when she saw her face, right in front of her. But she didn't have to ask to know that something wasn't right.

That was the first time she cried inconsolably while she was accepting a golden medal. She could feel Lizzie's gaze, almost drilling her. They weren't tears of joy. Her mother never came to watch her play before. Her mother never took her on because she has always been a burden. But, for the first time, she was able to see a mother's look on her eyes and it was just to tell her one of the worst announcements in the world.

She wouldn't have practice with the national team. The United States weren't going to be her home anymore.

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 **I hoped you have liked it and, please, review because I want to know your opinion and I accept all kind of suggestions. Oh! But don't be mean haha**

 **See you next time!**


	2. Home sweet hell

**A/N: First of all, I hope everything is clear and sorry again for the grammar and spelling mistakes. There's probably bad written structures. Anyway, thanks to all that people who read this story and who had followed/favorited it. I'm so glad you did it because this is a really hard work for me. I have to stop thinking in Spanish and try to think in English when I'm writing.** **You could leave your reviews if you want as well, but, please, I want comments that can help me improve my writing or this story.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Haikyuu and its characters**

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE  
** Home sweet hell

 _"So, how was your flight?"_

"Fine, I guess. I hope I'm not bothering you"

 _"Oh no! I told you to call me when you'll arrive. I wish I could be in Japan one day… I'm jealous!"_

Noa rolled her eyes, "You wouldn't like to take my place"

 _"Please, tell me that at least there was a hot guy in the airplane"_

"Why are you always thinking about guys!?"

 _"Come on! You are 15! I can't believe we are friends. Don't be so strait-laced. You haven't even kissed anyone! That's sad and you're jealous because I have a healthy love life"_

"Are you serious? Do you really think that making out with anyone behind the high school building is having a healthy love life?"

 _"I'm young. I have to try different things out"_

"I have a name for that"

 _"I don't wanna hear it"_

"It's flighty"

 _"Oh gosh! Thank you! I thought it was going to be a worse one"_

"Like what?"

 _"Like bitch"_

"That's not the worst description I could give you. In fact, I thought you already knew that"

 _"I think that the only bitchy one here it's you"_

"I owe to my public"

There was silence, _"Noa, are you actually thinking about…?"_

"I don't want to talk about it, Lizzie. I'm tired of it", she interrupted her. "I'm not playing beach volleyball anymore"

 _"But that's stupid! I mean, you have so much talent! Being in Japan doesn't mean that…"_

"Seriously, I'm not going to change my mind"

Lizzie sighed, _"You're really stubborn. Did you know that?"_ Noa smiled, _"I have to hang up. It's late. But promise me we'll keep in contact by Skype. I want to know how your first day in Japan is going to be"_

"Probably, a nightmare", she answered. "You know I don't get along with my dad"

 _"You have to be more open-minded"_

"I'll try"

Noa looked at her phone screen for a while after Lizzie hung up. She had just talked to her and she already missed her so much. She didn't want to be in Japan. She wanted to go back to the United States.

She checked the time and frowned. She hoped her father wouldn't have forgotten about picking her up at the airport.

Her parents were divorced. That was her only problem. Noa had a simple life until she was six. That's when her parents got divorced. Her mother, who had won her custody, came back to her home country, the United States. At first, Noa hated the fact that she had to leave Japan, but she eventually got used to that new life and now she was forced to move on again. She hated the fact that her parents toyed with her. They used her as if she was a mere object in order to throw their own mistakes in each other's face. And, as always, the one who suffered from all that was her, but they didn't seem to care about it.

Noa felt a presence next to her and, when she looked up, her eyes met Furihata Hayate's deep gaze. It didn't matter how many years had passed, her father didn't change a little bit. He had the same magnificent appearance and he still wore those suits that fitted him so well.

"I've been waiting for you", Noa said, frowning.

His father took one of the heavy suitcases while he looked at her with one of his many reproving looks, "Don't talk to me like that. I'm your father"

Noa clicked her tongue while she was following him through the parking lot. She had just seen her father after almost a year and she had managed to annoy him in a few seconds. That should have been a new record.

Her father was a man with a high sense of responsibility and duty. Since Noa was born, he had wanted her to be the best. She could only reach the excellence. He, however, imposed his obsession for perfection to the woman who had been his wife for six years too. But, when she grew up, Noa came to understand that the relationship her parents had was much more complicated.

"How was your flight?"

Her father tried to start a conversation because the silence between them was starting to be uncomfortable. They didn't talk since they left the airport by car. They were on their way to Torono, a town in the Miyagi prefecture where her father had been living for the last five years.

"Good"

His father glanced at her for a second, "Did you get what I sent you?"

"Do you mean the details about my new school?" her father nodded. "Yes"

"That's perfect. You went to the United States when you were six years old, so I guess you don't remember that here, in Japan; it's pretty common to be part of a club. If your mother wouldn't have allowed you to give up the piano lessons…"

"Yeah… Because doing sports is inappropriate for a young lady…"

"I'm not going to have this conversation again, Noa. Don't change my words as you usually do"

Noa rolled her eyes. She hadn't changed those words. They were fixed in her memory when she heard them when she was only a child. How could it be possible for Furihata Hayate, an important lawyer, to allow her daughter to dedicate so much time to sport? It was a dishonor. She had to develop herself and piano was a good way to do it.

She always hated it and she used her free time between lessons to play in the streets with other children. She could still remember her father's face when her friends came to her house for the first time, arguing because each team wanted her to play for them. Nevertheless, Noa wasn't able to decide which expression scared her the most: her father's disapproving look or her mother's grimace.

"Anyway, it's your lucky day because I'm quitting beach volleyball. It isn't popular in Japan, so I can't practice here. Besides, I won't start doing any other kind of sport", she answered crossing her arms.

"Is that a threat? Because you could make a fuss, but I won't yield on that game", her father turned his head to look at her. "I have no choice but to ask for your legal custody, Noa, and I'm glad I won the trial. I'm sorry, but your mother is incapable of bringing you up properly".

"Don't say those kind of things about mum!" she said with her eyes filled with tears. You know nothing about her! What kind of husband were you? You were never at home!"

"Don't talk to me like that! You don't know anything about the relationship your mother and I had, so I'm not going to allow you to keep this conversation. You're going to settle in Japan and that's all. Is that clear?" Noa kept quiet. "Is that all clear?" her father repeated, raising his voice.

"Look at the road for the God's sake or you are going to kill us"

Her father snorted with rage, "You have a lot of good manners to learn, young lady. Fortunately, you'll have Miyoko in your life soon"

Noa raised an eyebrow, "Miyoko? Your girlfriend?"

"I wanted to tell you when we arrived home, but we are going to get married in a few weeks, so they're going to live with us when that happens"

"Hold on a second. They?"

"Yes. Did you remember that Miyoko has a son?"

"I thought he was older"

"In fact, he is. He's two years older than you, but I hope you two will get along. He's a nice, well-mannered and sensible boy. He goes to the same school, so I hope you could meet him as soon as posible. He could help you make new friends"

"Am I going to meet him now!?"

Okay. She wasn't prepared to meet anybody at that moment, let alone a teenager who probably had all his hormones excited all the time.

"When I left, Miyoko was alone at home. I don't know if he has already arrived. He's really athletic, you know? He's the team captain", her father added, as if he was really proud of that boy. Noa frowned because she had never seen that expression on her father's face when he was talking about her.

Meeting Miyoko's son was getting her nervous and she was starting to sweat uncontrollably. Although she had never met Miyoko in person, she had spoken to her by phone more than once, but who her son was, that was a mystery for her.

Her father parked the car in the garage and they carried all the suitcases and bags inside the two-storey house where his father lived. The last time Noa had been there was a year ago, when she came to visit him in summer, but now everything was changed. "The house is different", she mentioned as she analyzed the hall with curiosity.

"Well, I've changed many things because, as you know, this family will grow very soon. We'll need more space", her father answered while taking off his shoes. "Miyoko! We are here!"

A thin woman with beautiful black hair and pale skin came from the living room and she smiled gently, "Welcome home, my love", she said before looking at Noa. "I'm so happy we have finally met in person"

Noa tried to smile back, but she only grimaced, "So am I, I guess"

"Let me help you carry this entire heavy luggage upstairs", she said while she was taking some bags. She went upstairs before Noa could say anything.

The girl followed her father and Miyoko upstairs, who showed her where her room was, at the end of the hallway. And, if she thought her nightmare was over, she was wrong. That room was the most depressing one she had ever seen. It was all white and the room only had a bed, a desk, a wardrobe and a pair of shelves full of books about different subjects. _That's perfect, dad, the present that every girl dreams of_ , she thought as she tried to keep a solemn expression.

"Put your things away", her father ordered when they were all inside the room.

"Oh, I have thought about…", Miyoko smiled again "That we could spend the day outside. My son isn't coming. He called me to tell me that he's staying with his team. They have to train, so, if you're not tired, Noa-san, we could go out shopping. Probably you'll need things for school"

"I think Noa should rest, Miyoko"

"No. It's fine. I'd love to"

If she had to stay in that room, she will probably kill herself.

The woman smiled at her, "I'll pick my bag and we'll leave", she said. "Aren't you coming with us, my love?"

"I'm afraid I'm not. I have an important trial in a few days and I need to prepare it. You'll have to have fun without me, but I promise I'll make it up for you", the woman giggled before leaving the room. "Don't do any stupid thing, Noa", her father told her when Miyoko wasn't near them.

Noa frowned, "Why would I do that?"

"Because you look like your mum so much", her father answered, leaving her alone in her bedroom before she could even answer him back.

The girl clicked her tongue. _I don't look like her. I've never, ever, looked like her because, unfortunately, I look like you_ , she thought while she picked her bag. Then, she closed the door. She would definitely have to do something with that awful decoration.

 **...**

Noa and Miyoko left the shop carrying a lot of bags full of things and clothes. They spent the whole day from one shop to another and, although Noa hated going shopping, Miyoko turned out to be the perfect companion. The woman had a really good taste in clothes and she advised her surprisingly well.

Noa liked Miyoko's company. That was the first time they spent time together and Noa had an odd feeling, like she had known her for a long time. It was as if she had run into her after years.

Nevertheless, she couldn't help feeling a certain jealousy. Since she had arrived to Japan a few hours ago, her father had been much more attentive to Miyoko in a few minutes while he acted differently with his own daughter. She had always seen him serious, oblivious to emotions, but Miyoko had brought to light a different person. He was now like a stranger to her.

"Are you hungry?", Miyoko asked her when they left the mall.

"Yes, I am"

"It's late. Do you want to have diner somewhere?

Noa thought about it for a few seconds. She didn't remember going with her parents to a special restaurant, but there was something she was aware of. She knew exactly what she wanted to eat. "I don't know, but I want to eat ramen"

Miyoko giggled, "Ramen?"

Noa nodded, "It's my favorite food. I ate it in the United States, but it's not as good as the one you can eat in Japan"

"Well… I think I know the perfect place then"

The two of them walked in silence. Noa couldn't stop looking the bunch of people who filled the streets of Torono. They were probably going home after a hard work day.

They arrived soon to a small house which had an establishment in the ground floor. The door, covered by a curtain, hid a nice restaurant, with not many tables, but it had a really warm look.

Miyoko and Noa were led to a table for two by the young waiter who were going to serve them during diner.

"I used to come here a lot with my son"

Noa shrugged her shoulders. She didn't know what to say while she was waiting for the food they had ordered. She had spent almost all day with Miyoko, shopping, and in that moment she didn't know what she could talk about.

A few minutes later, the waiter served the food. Noa's eyes glowed when she saw the ramen. She smelled it and she smiled when she remembered all that food her grandmother used to cook for her when she was only a child and she still lived in Japan.

Noa took the chopsticks, "Itadakimasu", she mumbled and, after that, she started to eat. That was the best ramen she had ever tasted. "It's delicious", she said smiling.

Miyoko nodded, "I'm glad you like it. This has been a very important day to me", Noa raised an eyebrow. "We had only talked on the phone, so I was really nervous because I really wanted to get along with you"

"That's because you're going to marry my father?" Miyoko looked at her in surprise. "He told me about it in the car. Congratulations"

"I…Well…" Miyoko blushed a Little. "I love your father so much. He's a very special man and I wanted you to feel comfortable about this relationship. This whole situation must be difficult for you, but Hayate has suffered a lot too. He has always wanted you to be back", Noa bowed her head. "I'm so sorry. You don't have to talk if you don't want to. But I want you to know that I know your story and I would never judge your mother's actions"

Noa looked at Miyoko, "Thank you"

"Why?"

"Because you're the first person who talks about my mum without insulting her"

"Well… I think that what she did was disgusting, but I don't know her reasons"

Noa fiddled with the chopsticks, "When I was a child, I didn't understand why my mum changed, why she treated me so badly. I've always felt like a burden. When I grew up, I found out that getting pregnant so young was the main problem. My mother was a professional athlete, she played water polo and she was in the national team. She had to give it up, so she abandoned her dream: the Olympic Games. At first, I think everything was perfect. She met my father in an international competition that took place in Japan, they fell in love, they got married and my mother got pregnant, so she decided to leave the United States and live here. But, then, my father worked a lot, so she was always alone, taking care of me. Much later, I realized that my father worked so much because my mother became an unbearable person. She hated that her daughter was so much talented for sports, a talent she wasn't able to develop because she got pregnant. That's when she started to ignore me and, nowadays, I can't understand why she wanted my custody if she never took care of me"

"You shouldn't blame yourself", Miyoko took her hand gently. "It wasn't you fault. I know you have left your life in the United States, but you can start a new one in Japan. That's why I want all of us to be a family", Miyoko smiled.

Noa felt butterflies in her stomach. A family? She already had one. She had left it in the United States, but Miyoko's idea of a family was completely different. A father. A mother. A brother. At that moment, Noa felt a bunch of emotions and she didn't know how to react. Did she have to be happy because of the new life Miyoko was offering her or should she feel offended by Miyoko's familiarity?

Finally, she didn't say a word, but she was sure about how much she had to think about it. She came to Japan willing to rise up against her father. But Miyoko's words questioned her initial plans.

"Are you nervous about starting classes next Monday?" Miyoko asked, trying to change the subject.

"Yes. I'm not used to the Japanese system. It's different"

"You'll get used to it soon. I can ask my son to help you"

"Oh no! It's not necessary!" Noa smiled, "He's in his third year. I could do well"

"Okay. But I'm looking forward to the day you two meet. I'm sure you're going to get along"

Noa clicked her tongue, "I hope so"

Miyoko smiled again and paid for dinner, even though Noa insisted on paying.

"Do you know what your class is?"

"Class 5"

Miyoko looked at her surprised, "That's impressive. If I'm not wrong, you'll be in the advanced class"

"Yeah. My father told me something like that when he sent me all the documents. I guess that should be because of my grades"

"You must be a very intelligent girl"

"No, I'm not. I consider myself quite the opposite. The thing is that I am hard-working, although I'm specially skillful when it comes to Math. That's all. I try to get good grades because I'd like to go to university"

Miyoko giggled, "You know? When I met you, I thought you looked like your mother, although you had your father's hair and eyes color. But, right now, I think you look more like him"

Noa sighed, "I do think so. But we don't get along"

"That's because you behave the same way, but I can assure you that he adores you"

 _I wish he'll prove it_ , Noa thought.

It was already night when they arrived the neighborhood. They crossed the street when a kitty hissed at them to move them out of its way. Noa looked daggers at the animal so the kitten showed her its little fangs before running away.

"Good night"

Miyoko greeted a thin blond boy who was wearing glasses. The boy was listening to some music with white headphones, but even so, he was able to hear Miyoko's voice because he nodded in response before getting inside the house.

 _Holy shit. He's like a titan_ , Noa thought due to the boy's height.

"He's one of my son's teammates. He's your age. I didn't know he lived on the same street. How lucky!" Miyoko mentioned.

 _Is her son as tall as him?_ , Noa thought, _He must be in the basketball team_.

Miyoko was the one who opened the door. Noa's father was waiting for them and he checked the bags when they came in.

"What the hell you think you're doing!?", Noa asked. She was annoyed by her father's attitude.

"We had so much fun", Miyoko said, "Noa-san is such a fantastic girl"

"I'm glad you spent a good time together", her father said, "Did you have dinner?"

"Yes. Miyoko invited me. We ate ramen"

"You should have paid, Noa"

"It's fine", Miyoko took Furihata Hayate's arm, "I insisted", the woman smiled at them, "I should leave. My son should be back from training and he must be hungry"

"I'll take you home", her father took the car keys, "I'll be back soon, Noa"

Noa saw them leave the house and, when the door closed, she sighted. She was exhausted. She took the bags and went upstairs to her room. She didn't even get undressed. She let herself fall into the bed and she closed her eyes to have some sleep.

Plan for Sunday: Sleep all day.

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 **~See you next time!**


	3. Distance

**A/N: First of all, thank you so much for the reviews, likes and follows. I didn't expect this story would get all that feedback, so thank you! I know this second chapter doesn't show anything new, but I wanted to show you more about Noa and her father's relationship which I think is quite complicated. I promise the next chapter will be longer and it will have a lot of Haikyuu characters on it. I'm so excited about writing it and developing Noa's relatioship with everyone.  
As I've asked in the previous chapter, please, tell me if there's some spelling or grammar mistakes. English is not my main language, so if you tell me that something is not right, I'll change it and, of course, that will help me also to improve my English. So be free to leave any review or any suggestion!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Haikyuu or its characters**

* * *

 **CHAPTER TWO  
** Distance

The phone started ringing.

Noa was lying face down on her bed and she had the blankets wrapped up her body. She groped for her mobile phone, trying to found it only with her left hand because she was incapable of opening her eyes. However, when she managed to find it, the sound stopped.

Noa seethed and she dropped her arm on the side again, trying to get some sleep.

The phone started ringing again.

"Hello?", she asked sleepy while she spun around to be face up.

 _"Are you still sleeping!?"_

Noa opened one eye when she heard her father's voice on the other line. She didn't even know what time it was, so she preferred to keep quiet.

 _"It's almost lunch time!"_ , her father continued when his daughter didn't answer him, _"Are you really going to spend all Sunday without doing anything?"_

"Is that so bad?"

 _"Do something"_ , her father mumbled, _"I didn't want to wake you up because I imagined you were tired, but you should start doing something. Be productive"_

"And what do you want me to do? I don't know anyone! It's your fault. You couldn't even have the great idea of spending a day with your own daughter"

Her father was silent for a few seconds. What did he expect? She was the one who was going to spend all day at home. Noa had felt all her life abandoned by her mother. But, in that moment, she had spent only a day in Japan and she was already having a very similar feeling because of her father's actions.

 _"I'm with Miyoko"_ , her father finally said after keeping quiet, _"Do you want to come?"_

"No", Noa answered coarsely. She wanted that all that kind of invitations to be her father's idea. She didn't want to be the one who had to explain him how fatherhood worked.

 _"Good. But I don't want to hear any complain"_

Noa rolled her eyes, "I'm gonna hang up"

She hung up before her father could answer her back and then she left her mobile phone on the night table. She knew that what she had done was going to make some trouble, but she didn't really care about what Furihata Hayate thought.

She hated her father; more than she could ever hate someone. Maybe she was ignored by her mother, but, at the end, her mother had never demanded her what she had to do. The only thing her father was doing was controlling her, he controlled her life and he didn't seem to care about how she felt.

She stretched her limbs and she stood up. Noa walked to the kitchen, even though she wasn't hungry. She opened the fridge and she looked inside for a few minutes because she didn't know what to eat. Finally, she took a carrot that she peeled before trying it. She relied on the countertop while she ate the carrot and she observed the kitchen.

Then, she walked around the house as she didn't have anything to do.

Her curiosity overcame her and she entered the room in which Miyoko's son was going to sleep in a few weeks. It wasn't much decorated, but there were already some clothes in the drawers and some piled boxes which had a content she wasn't able to figure out because they were still sealed.

When she left Miyoko's son's bedroom, she saw a closed door on the hallway. The day before she didn't have noticed it, but in that moment she felt an urgent need. She needed to know what there was inside that room. She took the latch, but the door didn't open. It was locked.

Noa clicked her tongue. She was disappointed. But, suddenly, she grinned. Maybe her father had kept the key and his bedroom was a good place to hide it.

She opened the drawers, trying not to make a mess because, if her father noticed, she'd be in big trouble. Noa could even imagine it, her father's face full of rage and she laughed because she felt stupid even though she was afraid of her father.

But, why did he want to have a room locked? It was as if he was begging her to open it, that she had the right to know what was inside of it.

Noa jumped when she heard her phone ring again. She closed the drawer and she run towards her bedroom before it stopped.

She took the phone and she smiled when she saw her best friend's name on the phone screen. She wanted to talk to her by Skype. Noa was happy to see Lizzie again. As always, she looked stunning. Her wavy brown hair and her big blue eyes were glowing like she was a fairy.

 _"Holy crap!"_ , Lizzie yelled when she saw Noa's face on her computer screen.

"What?"

 _"Have you seen how messy your hair is?"_

"I've just got up"

 _"If I'm not wrong in Japan lunch time is over… How much time were you going to sleep?"_

"Just enough", Noa answered, looking daggers at her friend. Lizzie was repeating her father's words, "Yesterday I couldn't rest. I went shopping with Miyoko"

 _"Your father's girlfriend!? Have you already met her in person!? How is she? I'm sure she's such an old hag who will try to make your life miserable while her son backs her in her plan of getting rid of you"_

"Seriously, you watch too many movies… And no, she's not an old hag… Actually, she's quite the opposite. I like her. She's a good person"

 _"If she's such a good person, she should have bought you a good computer. Am I always going to talk to you through the phone? It has such a terrible quality"_

"Don't be like that… My father should do that kind of things"

 _"Do you really think he's going to do something like that?"_

Noa kept quiet for a few seconds and, finally, she decided not to answer that question because it was clear that she couldn't expect such a thing from her father.

"We were shopping and then she invited me to have dinner"

 _"That's impressive. I hope she has a good taste in clothes too"_

"Yes. Actually, she was a good adviser"

 _"I'm jealous… You know how my mum is. She wants me to dress like a granny"_

"Well, I think you should find a happy medium"

 _"What do you mean!?"_

"I don't mean anything", Noa giggled.

Lizzie crossed her arms, pretending to be upset with her, _"And have you already met her son?"_

"Do you want to know if he's handsome?"

 _"Maybe…",_ she answered, trying to play hard.

"Well… He isn't bad… He has black long hair and green eyes", Noa thought carefully for a few seconds, "What's more… I think he said something about surfing…"

Lizzie jumped, _"You can't be serious! That's so unfair! I'm buying a ticket to go to Japan right now!"_

Noa burst into laughter, "You'll never gonna change! I've just made up that description!"

 _"I hate you"_

"I haven't met him yet. The only thing I know is that he's the team captain. It's really frustrating the fact that my father seems prouder of him than of his own daughter"

Lizzie shook her head, _"If he had watched you play beach volleyball for once in his life…"_

"I'm really nervous to meet him", Noa interrupted her friend, "Miyoko has been making an effort in order to get along with me, so I want to be up to scratch when I met her son. Oh! I didn't tell you, but he must be very tall… We saw one of his teammates when we were back from shopping. Apparently, we live on the same street and you can't imagine how tall he is… He was like a giant"

Lizzie grinned, _"So he's a basketball player…"_

"That's what I thought"

 _"And is he hot?"_

Noa rolled her eyes, "Do you really have to ask always the same damn question?"

 _"Of course I have! Because if he's a hottie, it's much easier to talk to him"_

"It's easier for you, not for me. You don't have any complex when it comes to boys"

 _"Probably, but is he hot or not?"_

"I didn't see him well because it was at night, but he was blond and he was wearing glasses. He was cute, but there was something in the way he looked at us that I didn't like at all"

 _"You always have to be so negative about boys, uh?"_ , Noa shrugged when she heard her friend's words, _"Tell my brother about it…"_

Noa sweat dropped, so her friend started laughing.

Alex Thompson was a year older than them and he was one of the most popular boys at high school. His messy brown hair and his naughty smile drove almost every girl in the high school crazy, but, for some odd reason, he only paid attention to Noa.

Noa liked him. She wouldn't deny it. He was handsome and funny and they got along. They went out together a couple of times, but every time Alex wanted to be closer to her, she always run away. Finally, and as expected, he was tired of her and, although he still talked to her, he did it just as a friend.

 _"Don't make that face"_ , Lizzie said with a smile on her face, _"He keeps loving you. By the way, he says 'hi'"_

"Oh yeah… Say 'hi' back to him"

 _"I'll tell him when I speak to him. Now I'm not at home"_

"That's true… You are with the national team, aren't you?"

Lizzie nodded, _"But if you don't want to talk about it it's fine"_

"You're my friend and I want to know how your life is going"

Lizzie's face brightened. Noa knew her for so long, so she knew when her friend was looking forward to tell her how that experience was going. She knew Lizzie didn't talk about it because she didn't want to hurt her feelings, but Noa was okay with that. They were friends and Noa had to support her best friend, even though she felt a bit jealous.

 _"It's really exhausting, but I'm learning a lot. In the end, there's people who has been in the Olympic Games. And what's more, I have a new teammate. Her name is Brittany Seymour, but she's not as good as you"_

 _How fast_ , Noa thought when Lizzie told her about her new teammate.

"That's… That's great!"

 _"She has such a good shot! And she is really tall, but she doesn't have that fighting spirit you have. I think that's going to be really difficult. That fact that I won't have anyone to tell me what I must do or to encourage me because we can win despite performing badly in the first set. We're so alike. It's not like you and me. We were perfect for each other"_

"Then you know what you have to do… You should be the captain now"

 _"Actually… She has been offered to be the captain and I said it was okay. I'm not good at those things"_

"I can't believe you are so self-confident when it comes to boys, but you're so insecure when it comes to beach volleyball. You are good, Lizzie. That's why we have won so many competitions together. You're speaking as if I had won it all by myself and that's not true. Shall I remember you that my height is 160 cm? You got us out of trouble more than once"

Lizzie smiled. She was livelier after listening to Noa, _"See? That's why I'm saying that I can't be as good as you. I can't give a speech like that. That's not my thing. You know my thing is flirting"_

"Amen", mumbled Noa.

 _"I've heard you!"_ Lizzie crossed her arms again, _"Let's change the topic… When do you start classes?"_

"Tomorrow"

 _"And are you nervous?"_

"Yes. In Japan things are quite different from the United States. For example, I need to wear a uniform"

Lizzie's eyes glowed, _"I want to see a picture!"_

"No"

 _"Oh! Come on! I think my brother might die if he sees it",_ her friend started laughing uncontrollably.

"I don't know if you are saying that because you're happy for him or because you really want him to die…"

Lizzie stuck her tongue out, _"You know I'm joking"_

"Gosh… I'm worried about how I'm going to fit in because Japanese society is very different from Western society"

 _"Well… You always look pissed off so I highly doubt that they would like to talk to you"_ , Noa looked daggers at Lizzie. _"But if you smiled a little bit I'm sure they'd come to talk to you"_

"You speak as if it was the easiest thing ever"

 _"Actually, it is. Stop being so arrogant. Be the one who takes the first step. Don't wait for them to do so"_

"Maybe you are right…" Noa thought for a few seconds. "I'll need help with the subjects. The school year has already started, so I'll have to catch up with the rest of the class"

 _"There you have a good excuse to get close to them"_

"Well, I think I'll watch my classmates carefully first so I can see if there's someone who seems more likeable"

 _"At the end you won't follow my advice. I know you"_

"That's not like it. The point is that I'm in the advanced class. That's so much pressure. My father is really proud about it, so I don't want to be sent to another class because I can't keep up with the level. I don't want to let my father down"

 _"I see… But you are a hardworking girl. You don't need anyone to tell you that you have to study or that you have to exert yourself"_

Noa sighed, "I think that, at least, the first week is going to be exhausting. I'll be locked in my room studying every day after school"

 _"And don't you want to sign up for any extracurricular activity?"_ Noa raised an eyebrow. _"I mean, in the United States you practiced beach volleyball. Aren't you going to do anything over there?"_

"Well, in Japan, it's important to take part in a club, but I have no intention in joining one. And, before you say anything else, let alone if it's a sports club"

 _"You're going to take this all the way, aren't you?_ Noa nodded. _"I hope soon or later you'll realize that the only one who is being harmed is you. Your father doesn't care if you don't play sports never again. In fact, I'm sure he thinks that's fantastic. The only one who is going to regret this decision is you"_

Noa frowned, "This isn't stupid! I was humiliated! I cried while I received a golden medal! It was supposed to be a happy day. We won; we were going to train with the national team and, in a few seconds, all that was gone. Noa McCormack, the next beach volley star, was gone and now, in front of you, all you can see is Noa Furihata, just another plain Jane"

 _"You'll be just another run-of-the-mill girl because you want to"_ , Lizzie sighted, _"I don't want to argue with you, but you know that I think that what you are doing is stupid"_

"I doubt it"

 _"Pig headed"_

Noa scratched her head, "I should hang up. I should be doing something fruitful like unpacking"

 _"Okay. Call me to know how your first day at high school went"_

"I'll do it"

Noa looked at her mobile phone's screen and she swallowed. She got a lump in her throat and she felt a bittersweet feeling after having spoken to Lizzie. As much as Noa was trying to forget beach volleyball, her friend didn't want her to forget it, but Lizzie didn't realize that it made it more difficult.

She decided to have a shower in order to do something with her messy hair and, after that, she unpacked. She put her clothes in the wardrobe and she put some other things in the drawers. She didn't take so many things to Japan because her intention was buying them when she needed them, so she finished sooner than expected.

She spent the rest of the afternoon laying on the sofa and watching television. She didn't pay much attention, but, at least, she was distracted until night, when her stomach roared asking for something to eat. Noa decided to cook something for dinner: a pair of steaks and a salad, although she wasn't sure if her father was coming home early. Yet, her work wasn't in vain because, a few minutes after starting cooking, the house door was opened and, a few seconds later, her father came in.

"Are you making dinner?"

"Yes. I hope you haven't eaten anything"

"No, I haven't", her father answered while he sat around the big wooden table which was in the middle of the kitchen.

Noa put the dishes on the table and she took a seat in front of her father.

"Itadakimasu"

And then the two of them ate in silence.

"What have you done today?", her father asked, trying to start a conversation.

Noa looked at him, "I've unpacked"

"That's good"

And, again, they kept in silence for a few minutes. Noa really wanted to ask her father about that mysterious room, but she also knew that he wouldn't answer that question. What's more, he would probably be offended and, as a result, Noa would lose all interest.

"I thought you'll have dinner with Miyoko", Noa said, trying to strike up a conversation again.

"No. She needs some rest. She has to work tomorrow"

Noa blinked. She had spoken to Miyoko more than once, but in that moment she realized she didn't know anything about her. "What does she do for a living?"

"She's a restaurant manager. As you can imagine, she has so much responsibility and she has to work many hours"

"I see…" Noa finished chewing her food, "Tomorrow I'm starting high school"

"I know"

"I have thought it would be a good idea if I went to school earlier. Although I have a high school map, I'm sure I'll get lost and I want to be on time the first day"

"I couldn't expect less. Don't forget that you'll need to take something for lunch", Noa nodded, "Now I remember something…" her father stood up and went out the kitchen. A few seconds later, he came back holding a box.

"What is that?" Noa asked when her father put the box on the table.

"It's a laptop", Noa raised an eyebrow, "It's for you"

She couldn't believe it. A few hours ago, she had been talking to Lizzie about how much she would need a computer and, in that moment, her father was giving her a new one. _That's great, dad, you're improving a lot_ , Noa thought as she tried to open the box without much success.

"It was Miyoko's idea"

Noa stopped doing what she was trying to do when she heard him. She thought that present was her father's idea, but it was Miyoko again the one who had thought about her in the first place. It was frustrating. Noa didn't answer and she turned around to search for a knife in one of the kitchen drawers to open the box easily.

"She suggested me you'll need one to study"

"It's a good present. Thanks, dad", Noa said frankly when she finally managed to get the laptop outside the box. Noa looked at it with curiosity. It was a good laptop, and she was sure it hadn't cost cheap. However, although her father always made her feel bad about herself, she was really happy in that moment. She wanted to try out her new laptop. She could finally talk to her best friend properly.

Noa finished cleaning up the kitchen while her father watched television. She kept quiet because she didn't want to argue again, but she was upset because he didn't help her. Otherwise, she understood too that Furihaya Hayate's way of thinking was too archaic.

Finally, she let herself fall into her bed and she sighed. She was exhausted because she already had those annoying jet lag effects. However, she couldn't get some sleep. She was too nervous because of her first day at Karasuno High. She never cared about what other people thought about her, but, at that moment, she did want to make a good impression on her classmates because she was sure that would make the difference.

What Noa didn't expect was that on her first day she was going meet a lovely blond girl who wore her hair in a cute pigtail. Her life was about to change drastically.

* * *

 **~See you soon!**


	4. First impressions

**A/N: Here it is! The third chapter! I hope you'll like it. Noa is going to meet some Haikyuu characters and there are more to come, so be ready for next chapters ;)  
Next, I want to thank everyone who has started liking and following this story and, of course, thanks to CookieTaker and Mi-chan for their reviews. They encourage me to keep writing. And, please, be free to tell me if there's anything you don't like too. As you know, English is not my main language and I try to do my best, so I hope everything was clear in this chapter. I haven't written the next one yet, but, spoiler!Kageyama and Hinata will be on it haha**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Haikyuu or its characters**

* * *

 **CHAPTER THREE  
** First impressions

 _I look ridiculous_ , she thought, while she looked herself at the mirror for the fourth or fifth time that morning. Noa wasn't used to wearing a uniform. She always thought that it was a way of equalizing the students and not letting them show their true personality through the clothes they wear, so she didn't like them at all. She took her phone and she took a photo quickly in front of the mirror. She knew that she was going to regret that decision, but Lizzie asked her for a picture of herself wearing the uniform. That was going to be the butt of many jokes, but she did it anyway.

 _Shit_ , she thought when she looked her watch. She got up early because she wanted to be on time on her first day at Karasuno High, but she wasn't following her own schedule for the day. She went downstairs almost running and she went into the kitchen where she drank a glass of milk in one swallow and, then, she ate a toast in one bite while her father was looking at her astonished.

"I have to go. I don't want to be late", she told him with her mouth full of food. Furihata Hayate opened his mouth to wish her luck, but her daughter had already left the kitchen, so he sighed. It was impossible for him to understand her.

Noa took her backpack, where she kept the lunch she had prepared for that day, and she went out her house jolting.

It was a fantastic day. The sun was shining and the temperature was nice. She sighed while she started walking to high school, but she stopped on her tracks when she noticed the two people who were walking in front of her. She knew one of them. It was the blond boy who wore glasses she saw her first day in Japan. The other boy wasn't as tall as him and he had such a curious hair colour. Depending on the light, it was dark green, black or even brown, but Noa found that quite fascinating.

Ridiculously, Noa felt that her legs were moving more slowly than they should be. She was in a hurry, but she was ashamed of walking past by those boys. Stupid, right? However, it seemed too that she was following them if she was walking behind them all the time. Noa felt stupid for being so concerned about what other people thought, but, for the first time in her life, she didn't want to stand out, so she was sure that the safest option was walking behind them.

The two boys walked in silence probably because the blonde boy who lived on the same street was listening to some music. Noa raised an eyebrow. She couldn't understand why he was doing that if he had company. _What an idiot_ , she thought. And, as if he could hear her thoughts, the blond boy turned slightly his head and he stared at her. Noa jumped a little bit and she shivered because of the way he was looking at her. She had the same odd feeling. She was sure thay if one day they met, they wouldn't get along well.

Noa stopped when the other boy realized her presence too and he turned around to look at her. Noa, who was ashamed for being discovered, bowed her head and she started walking faster, walking past them almost running.

"Who is she? I've never seen her before", the dark haired boy watched her running away from them, "She must be new"

His friend shrugged. He put his hands in his pockets and kept walking without answering. However, he grinned. That was going to be fun. "Come on, Yamaguchi"

"Oh… Yeah. Tsukki… Wait!" he yelled when he saw his friend was leaving him behind.

 **...**

Once she lost sight of them, Noa slowed down her pace and she sighed. That wasn't the best way of starting the day. Why the hell did she react like that? She should have acted more natural, not as if she was about to commit a crime.

In the distance, she saw Karasuno High's entrance door. Some students were already arriving to school. When she was near the main entrance, she noticed a student with black hair and glasses who was standing next to the door and was showing a big smile to every student who came into the building. "You must be Furihata-san, aren't you?" He asked when she was near him. Noa stopped walking when she heard that boy talking to her. "I was waiting for you. Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Takeda Ittetsu. I'm the Japanese Modern Literature teacher. I'm so nice to meet you"

 _Holy shit! Is he really a teacher!?_ , she thought, but she only nodded as an answer as she was speechless.

"I've been asked to inform you about your subjects and the schedule. Come with me, please"

Noa followed him closely. She could feel her cheeks burning. She was ashamed for having thought that Takeda was a student and not a teacher.

"I've been told that you come from the United States. Do you know Japan?"

"I… Yes!" she answered nervously. "In fact, I was born in Tokyo"

"Oh… That's fantastic! I'm not surprised then. You speak Japanese really well"

Takeda invited her to come into the teacher's room, where he searched for some papers and a file with her name on it. Takeda took a look before smiling at her and, then, he gave her the papers he found. Noa was glad that most of the subjects were the same as the ones she had in the United States, although she was a bit uncomfortable about the idea of attending to Home Economics class. That was definitely new.

"Those are the subjects you'll be doing this year and the schedule. You arrived when the classes have already started, so, if you need something, you can ask me or any of my colleagues for help. I've been asked to act like your counselor for the next months. On the other hand, I guess you know that here, in Japan, we value so much the belonging to a club", Noa rolled her eyes unconsciously, "I don't want you to feel forced to become part of one. You've just arrived and the most important thing is that you'll be able to adapt to our dynamic as soon as possible. You'll have to keep up with your classmates. The other paper is a high school map. I think that will be useful"

"Thank you so much!" Noa answered with more enthusiasm than necessary. She didn't want to take part in any club, so Takeda's words took a load off her mind because she was afraid of people putting more pressure on her in order to make a decision.

"You are welcome", Takeda answered scratching his head ashamed, "Hurry up or you'll be late on your first day"

Noa nodded and she smiled at her teacher before leaving the room. She took a quick look at the map and her eyes widened when she saw how big that campus was. According to what she heard about Karasuno High, it was such a modest high school, so she couldn't imagine how the other Japanese high schools were.

She analyzed the map carefully, trying to spot where the Class 5 was. She wasn't really good at orienting herself, so she was blaming herself for not asking Takeda-sensei for some help instead of going round and round in the hallways. Suddenly, Noa felt that she bumped into something. She stepped back because of the blow and she raised her eyes just to see in front of her a tall boy who was wearing his long brown hair in a bun. His eyes were brown too and he had a short goatee in his chin that gave him an unapproachable appearance.

"S-S-So…" Noa tried to apologize, but she couldn't say a word. That was ridiculous. Her legs were shaking not because she was scared of that boy's appearance that made him look older, but because she thought that he was quite attractive and when she thought someone was hot she couldn't help but react like the fifteen year old girl she was.

"Look what you've done! You've scared that poor girl!" Another boy who had short gray hair got close to them and he hit the brown haired boy in the ribs.

"I didn't mean…" the other boy tried to defend himself.

"Please, forgive him", the gray haired boy smiled at her, "He usually scares people. Are you okay?"

"Oh! Yeah!" Noa finally was able to say something, so she tried to fix the weird situation she was living, "It was my fault because I was distracted looking at this map that, clearly, it's not useful at all!" she said throwing it away while mumbling some words neither of the two boys were able to understand. Then, she was aware of what she was doing, so she realized they must have been thinking that she was crazy. She smiled at them quickly, but they were already looking at her astonished. "I'm sorry… This is my first day here and I got lost", she said, scratching her head innocently.

"You're a freshman, aren't you?" The gray haired boy said, so Noa nodded, "What is your class?"

"Class 5"

When Noa answered, the bell rang, so it was time to start the classes.

"You are in the senior student's area, so you have to go down to the first floor. Your class is on the left, at the end of the hallway. You'll have to hurry up or you'll be late on your first day"

"Th-Thank you!"

Noa waved goodbye at them with her left hand while she started running following those directions. On her way, she came up against some students who were arriving late too, so, when she was in front of the Class 5, the door was already closed. Noa swallowed hard and, as soon as she opened the door, all eyes were on her. "Ummm…" Noa tried to find the most suitable words. "Sorry for being late, but I got lost", she finally admitted giggling nervously.

Her teacher looked at her in a suspicious manner. It was clear that her teacher didn't like her. Since then, Noa met one of the people in high school she would fear the most and one of the people in high school she would have more trouble with in a near future: Fujibashi Sadako, her Math teacher. Fujibashi Sadako was a woman near her forties. She was tall and thin. She had everything to be an average Japanese woman, but she had such a cold glare she could freeze anyone.

"I guess you are Furihata Noa. I'm Fujibashi Sadako, your Math teacher", Noa nodded, "Come in a take a sit. I hope you could do it without interrupting my class again"

Noa catch a glimpse of a free desk at the back of the classroom. While she was heading towards her seat, she could feel her classmates' eyes on her. They were looking at her full of sarcasm, clearly amused by Noa getting lost in the hallways. Noa tried to avoid their glance and she stared at the floor. She had spent all weekend imagining how her first day was going to be. She hoped to make a good impression, but, as soon as the day started, everything was getting worse.

"You are from the Western, so you'll need to learn a few things"

Noa stopped when she heard her teacher's voice again. Western. By the way she pronounced those words, it was like an insult to Noa, and so she clenched her fists, trying to stay calm. That wouldn't be the last time she would hear anyone talking to her like that. She didn't want to be misunderstood. She loved Japan and she loved its people, but she also hated those people who still believed in the supremacy of the Japanese race. That was stupid.

"Yachi-san", her teacher continued.

A short girl stood up quickly. She had an adorable appearance due to her short blonde hair which was tied back in a cute side pigtail and her big brown eyes. "Y-Y-Y-Y-Yes?" she stuttered. She looked nervous for being the main attraction in that moment and Noa used that to take a seat without being noticed.

"Due to Furihata-san's talent to get lost, we don't want that to happen again, so you'll have to take care of her. She's under your responsibility"

"Y-Y-Y-Yes!" The girl answered, sitting down quickly and bowing her head ashamed.

Noa looked at her curious as she pulled her things out of her backpack. _Poor girl_ , she thought. Yachi seemed to be a nervous girl who didn't like to be in the spotlight and Noa found her adorable for that. Yachi was so much different from her best friend Lizzie, but Noa hoped Yachi could be the one that would help her to fit in as soon as possible.

Fujibashi Sadako's classes weren't easy. Noa knew that she was in the advanced class, but that diabolic woman's teaching methods were almost impossible to follow. However, Noa was pretty good at coping with numbers, so she thought she wouldn't have any problem in catching up with certain subjects. Her main problem was going to be Japanese. She knew how to speak in Japanese and writing wasn't such a big trouble either, but studying the different meanings of the kanjis was much more complicated.

Noa sat properly while she sighed. She was mentally exhausted because of all the effort she had to make during the first classes. She looked at the clock hanged on the wall when she noticed her classmates were starting to eat their lunches, so she did the same thing.

Her stomach roared when she saw her food and she licked her lips, taking the fork she had brought from home. That didn't mean she couldn't use the chopsticks, but she was much more used to eating with cutlery. However, she noticed that, if she thought her day couldn't go worse, she was completely wrong. All her classmates were looking at her astonished. Noa looked at the fork she was holding with her right hand and she realized that, from then on, she wasn't only the girl who had arrived late on her first day, but also the weirdo who didn't use chopsticks for eating.

She devoured her food quickly because she really wanted everyone to stop looking at her. When she finished, she hid the fork and she opened her Japanese book, trying to find the answers to every doubt she had. She was going to have huge problems in that subject if she wouldn't work hard, so she thought about asking Takeda-sensei for some help. However, she remembered that she got lost trying to find her classroom, so she stayed on her seat, studying by herself.

Noa spent the rest of the time biting her pens which was a terrible habit she had when she was nervous and, especially, when she didn't understand anything when she was studying. She dropped her head, so it hit the desk with a thud. She didn't care about the sound it made. She didn't care about catching the others attention. She couldn't get any lower.

"Ummm… Fu-Furihata-san?"

Noa sat up straight and looked to her left. Yachi stood up next to her and she looked as nervous as before, when the math teacher talked to her. Yachi fiddled with her fingers while her cheeks turned red, so Noa who was waiting anxiously to know what she wanted to tell her raised an eyebrow. "Y-You have a piece of paper on your forehead"

Noa jumped and she touched her forehead. Yachi was right. Probably, when she slammed the desk with her head, a piece of paper had been stuck on her forehead, so, yes, she could get any lower.

"You're Yachi, right?" Noa asked, blaming herself for being so stupid. Yachi nodded, "Don't call me Furihata-san. Call me Noa", the girl nodded again, "Are you good at Japanese?"

"Y-Yeah… I-I think so"

"Great!" Noa showed her the book, "I need you to explain me a couple of things. As you can see, I know how to speak Japanese and all that stuff. In fact, I'm half Japanese, but I went to the United States when I was six, so I have no idea about kanjis" Yachi looked at her terrified. Noa was talking to her naturally as if she knew her for a long time, so Yachi didn't know how to react. "Oh Sorry!" Noa smiled at her, "You wanted to tell me something, didn't you?"

"Y-Yes… I was going to ask you if you need help"

"Ah! That's perfect then!" Noa laughed, "Could you please lend me your notes in Japanese? I think that would be enough for now. I'll bring them back tomorrow"

"I-I can lend you all notes you want"

Yachi took her backpack. She looked for something and she got many notebooks that she left on Noa's desk, who looked at them astonished. "This is everything we have studied since the classes began. You'll need it. We'll have our exams very soon"

Noa looked curious at Yachi whose cheeks turned red again. Maybe Yachi didn't notice, but Noa did. Yachi was stuttering less as they continued talking. Noa felt a certain satisfaction because she thought that meant that, although they had spoken for a few minutes, Yachi was feeling more and more comfortable around her. And that was a good sign.

"Can I ask you for another favor?" Noa smiled, "Could you please show me the high school after classes? I don't want to get lost again"

Yachi's eyes glowed, "Su-Sure!" The girl went back to her desk, but before sitting down, she turned around, "I'll have a few free minutes before going to my club. Are you okay with that?"

"That's perfect"

Noa smiled. She could have made a lot of mistakes on her first day, but she had the feeling that having met Yachi wasn't going to be one of them. She seemed a good girl who was willing to keep talking to Noa, although she was known as 'the weirdo' on her first day.

When the classes ended, Noa put with difficulty all Yachi's notebooks in her backpack. It was heavier that she thought at first, but she tried to play it cool in front of Yachi who, after classes, guided her through the high school hallways showing her where the most important classrooms were.

"I'm so sorry you have to take care of me", Noa apologized, "I promise you I'll never be late again. At least, now I know where everything is"

"Oh! It doesn't matter"

"Fujibashi-sensei is such an old hag"

"Well, actually, she is a bit terrifying, but she's a good teacher"

"You can express openly what you think about her. I won't say anything", Yachi look at her surprised because she didn't know exactly what she meant, "I'm sorry", Noa apologized again because she realized she was crossing the line, "I forget sometimes that I'm Japan. Japanese people is more…" Noa made a pause, trying to find the most accurate words, "You're shier"

After showing her the building, Yachi took her to the outside. Karasuno High had a beautiful playground with grass and big trees.

While they were walking across the campus, Noa cleared her throat, trying to catch Yachi's attention again. She wanted to know more things about her. "You told me before that you'll have to go to your club. What is it?"

"W-Well… I've just started. Actually, I'm not even officially a member yet. I could say they are testing me", Yachi fiddled with her fingers while she was searching the right words, "I'm the second manager of the volleyball team"

Noa looked at her surprised, "Do you know anything about volleyball?"

"N-Not really"

"If you have any doubts, maybe I can help you"

Yachi looked at her almost imploring her, "Are you being serious?"

"Sure!" Noa giggled nervously. She wasn't an expert. She had never played indoor volleyball before, but she knew a few things about it, "Actually, I've always played beach volleyball. They are quite different, but they have also some things in common"

"Did you live in a city near the beach?"

"Yes. I've been living in Santa Monica since I was six. It's a city near Los Angeles"

"W-Whao! That's so cool!"

Noa shrugged. It wasn't that cool, but she understood that, in Japan, people could be surprised because she practiced beach volley as it wasn't that common.

Finally, the two of them stopped in front of a big gym.

"You've already seen the other gyms, but here it is where the volleyball team practices everyday"

Noa was curious about it, but she also felt weak near it, especially if she could see any ball. It had been a long time since the last time she had stepped on one.

"W-W-Well…" Yachi looked at her nervous, "I-I have to get ready for the club"

"Oh! Yeah! Sorry for having taken you up so much time"

"I-It doesn't matter. Do you know how to get to the main entrance?"

Noa thought for a few seconds, "Yes, I think I do. I'll have to go straight, am I right? There I'll find how to get out of the campus"

Yachi nodded.

"Thanks for helping me", Noa continued, "I'll bring you tomorrow your notebooks. I have a lot of work to do!" she exclaimed raising her fist eagerly.

"You're so funny, Noa-san", Yachi laughed, "I'm so nice to have met you"

Noa smiled a bit embarrassed and she waved goodbye to Yachi. Noa watched her go almost running, probably to take off the uniform and put on a tracksuit which was much more comfortable.

Finally, Noa turned around and she made her way back home where she was going to spend the rest of the day studying. After all, her first day wasn't that bad. She had met Yachi and she truly believed that they were going to become good friends. However, it was on her way to getting out of the campus when something marvelous happened to her. It was such a strange experience because she was too caught up by her thoughts to realize that one boy passed her by running at high speed. She could only catch a glimpse of an orange flash.

Noa turned around moving away a lock of hair she had on her face to watch how the boy kept running until he disappeared. Noa felt her heart beating fast and she felt butterflies in her stomach too.

At that moment, she felt that something blissful was about to happen.

* * *

 **~See you next time!**


	5. Their aspirations

**A/N: Well, it's here! The new chapter! I hope everybody likes it. Thanks for liking and following this story. I appreciate this feedback so much. I haven't written next chapter yet but I know already what it's going to happen and Noa finally will meet all the Karasuno players!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Haikyuu or its characters**

* * *

 **CHAPTER FOUR  
** Their aspirations **  
**

"I'm glad to hear that you are doing well since you've started classes"

Noa nodded and she smiled at Takeda-sensei. Her Japanese Modern Literature teacher had called her that Wednesday morning to talk about how her adaptation process was going. Noa couldn't say anything bad about it. Although she was still having many problems with Fujibashi Sadako, her Math teacher, Yachi's company left all that in second place.

"Are you having any trouble in catching up with your classmates?"

"Not at all. There are some things that I've already studied in the United States. I'll need to make an effort in History because I don't know anything about Japan's history, but there's no problem. I only have to study", Noa looked into her backpack and she took a pair of notebooks, "Japanese and maybe Japanese Modern Literature is what I'm finding harder. Kanjis are more complicated than expected. A classmate has lent me her notes, but I'm afraid that's not enough"

"Have you asked her for some help?"

"Yeah, but I don't want to bother her because the exams are so close"

Takeda-sensei smiled, "Maybe I can help you…" her teacher thought for a few seconds, "The volleyball team trains this afternoon. I'm the faculty advisor, but I guess that it's not necessary to go to every practice, so I'll stay with you. We'll have a class"

 _Oh!_ , Noa thought, _He is the faculty advisor of the volleyball team which means he knows Yachi._

"It's not necessary. I don't want to interfere with your plans, sensei"

"Don't worry. You're not being a bother. My job is to teach"

Noa nodded a bit ashamed for making her teacher to worry about her. She liked Takeda Ittetsu. He understood his students or, at least, he tried to and that was something Noa appreciated a lot.

"I'm making such a huge effort to be up to everybody's expectations. Especially when the exams are next week", Noa confessed, "I don't do anything but study when I get home"

Noa blushed a little bit. Her father hadn't told her, as he wasn't a man who liked complimenting others, but Noa could feel that he was proud of how much Noa was working every day. In the end, she only wanted to please him.

"That's good, but don't push yourself too much, okay?"

Noa nodded again as her teacher followed. However, studying and getting used to her new life as soon as possible were her main priorities. Afterwards, she could relax a little bit. She wouldn't deny it. Getting used to a new schedule, a new class dynamic and new classmates wasn't easy at all. It had been two days since she had started to study in Karasuno High and, although she had only made one friend, Noa hadn't got much time to spend with other people either.

During lunchtime, Noa ate up her food. But this time, she used the chopsticks after the fork incident she had on her first day. She had learnt her lesson. After that, she used her free time to study. Nobody used to get close to her when she was studying unless they had to ask her something important because they didn't want to disturb her.

It was more and more clear that the exams were coming. Many students used that time to study or to help each other. Yachi should be one of the most intelligent girls that year. Two boys usually came to their classroom during the break in order to ask Yachi for some help with their studies.

It was that Wednesday when the conversation they were having drew Noa's attention. It seemed that the two boys had problems with English and, as much as Yachi was trying to make them understand the structure they were learning that day, they didn't understand a thing.

Noa sighed and she stood up. In two strides, she stood next to them. When the two boys noticed her presence, they raised their head from their notebooks and looked at her. Noa put her most intimidating pose, but it didn't have the effect she expected. While the black haired and blue eyed boy looked at her indifferently, the orange haired and big brown eyed boy shivered when their eyes met.

"Noa-san!" Yachi yelled when she noticed the girl's presence.

"I don't like sticking my nose in other people business, but I couldn't help listening to your conversation and you guys", She said while she pointed at them, "when it comes to languages you should stop questioning everything. There is no answer sometimes. You only have to memorize certain structures"

The two boys looked at her in silence.

"S-She's Noa-san", Yachi followed, trying to improve Noa's introduction, "She came from the United States"

The orange haired boy jumped a little, "Really!? That's so cool! Then, I guess you can help us with English"

The black haired boy didn't say a word, but, like the orange haired boy, he gave her a sign to take a chair in order to sit down with them. Noa blinked a couple of times, confused, but, at the end, she agreed and she took a seat between Yachi and the black haired boy.

"My name is Hinata Shouyou", the orange haired boy introduced himself showing a big smile.

"Kageyama Tobio"

Noa nodded, "Furihata Noa. But don't call me Furihata-san, please. I hate it. Just call me Noa", the two of them nodded eagerly, "What are you exactly studying?"

"Causative verbs", Yachi showed Noa her English notebook.

"Well…" Noa thought for a few seconds, trying to find the right words, "The causative form is used to refer to actions which are done for the subject rather than by the subject. I mean… You are not a mechanic or a hair-dresser, so you can't repair your car or cut your own hair. There's another person who does it for you. The structure is simple", Noa took a pen to write some examples, " _Have something done_ and _get something done_. You should know and learn these structures because they are frequently used. It isn't difficult. You just have to conjugate the verb G _et_ or H _ave_ and, of course, you have to know too the participle of the verb of the action"

The two boys nodded while they were taking notes and copying the examples in their notebooks.

"And when do we use _Get_ and when _Have_?", Kageyama asked.

" _Have_ is more formal and _Get_ is more used than _Have_ in the imperative form", the two boys looked at her clearly confused, "Just forget what I've just said… You can use them whenever you want", Noa striped two pieces of paper off and she started to write some phrases on them, "However, I think that the best way of getting used to certain structures when you are learning a language is doing some exercises. I have written four phrases that you have to transform into the causative form. After that, I want you to write down two more phrases so I can see if you have understood what I've just explain"

Hinata and Kageyama nodded and they took the papers Noa gave to them. She sat properly and she crossed her legs, waiting patiently for them to finish the exercises she had asked them to do.

"You are a demanding teacher", Yachi said trying not to smile.

"You think so?" Noa shrugged.

"I-I don't think that's something bad… I mean… I think it's good to know someone who actually knows how to speak in English"

"Noa-san! Then, do you really know how to speak in English?" Hinata asked innocently.

"Of course she knows, dumbass! She said she is American. Besides, she's already helping us!" Kageyama answered.

"But maybe she didn't know how to speak in English! She could have been born there and, then, she could have grown up in Russia, for example. You don't know that!"

Kageyama frowned. He was going to say something but Noa stopped him. "I was born in Japan. My father is Japanese", the boys looked at her carefully, "When I was six I went to the United States because my mum is from there. I grew up in Santa Monica, a city near Los Angeles"

"That's so cool!" Hinata's eyes glowed.

"And she hasn't told you the best part!" Yachi followed Hinata as excited as him, "Noa-san knows how to play volleyball!"

"Are you serious!?"

"I… Well…" Noa felt her cheeks burning. The two boys were almost on top of her as they wanted to know more things about her, "Actually, I played beach volleyball which is different from indoor volleyball"

"Were you good at it?" Kageyama asked.

"I don't think I'm the right person to answer that question", Noa answered scratching her head, "But… I guess I was. I'm too small, but I always knew how to score. Maybe that's why I was the captain"

Hinata look at her. His eyes were full of amazement, "I play volleyball too!" the boy stood up with a jump, "I'm small too, but I'm sure I'll be like the Small Giant one day!"

"Small Giant?"

Hinata nodded eagerly, "That's right! That's the only time Karasuno's volleyball team has reached the National Championship. The Small Giant was too small, but he was able to toss the ball through the defense. He was amazing! That's why I'm wearing the number ten. It was his number. We'll go to the Nationals"

Kageyama nodded eagerly as he agreed with Hinata. Noa, however, crossed her arms. Was Hinata the boy who had passed her by running at high speed last Monday afternoon? Was Hinata that orange flash that had provoked her so many emotions?

"The senpais decided to continue on the team because we believe we can make it again this year, but they have to win all matches in the Spring High Preliminaries which start soon", Yachi explained, "We still have time till then, but the team is working hard to go to Tokyo where they'll have some practice matches"

"Yeah!" Hinata followed, "Nekoma has invited us to train with them and with some of the best teams in the Kanto region. But, before that, we have to pass our exams or we won't go…" Hinata finished almost whispering. He was clearly embarrassed about it, so Noa imagined that their grades weren't high enough.

Noa laughed, "Well, now you know what you have to do, don't you?" the two boys looked at her, "You must set the bar high for the next generations", the two boys nodded, "But, in order to achieve that, you should finish first those exercises"

"Yes, ma'am!" Hinata and Kageyama bowed their heads and continued doing the exercises.

"Now I remember…" Noa turned her head and she looked at Yachi, "You told me that you weren't an official member yet. What about now?"

Yachi blushed, "I have the application form, but I haven't handed it over yet"

Noa smiled, "And what are you waiting for?" She took a glimpse of what Hinata and Kageyama were doing. They seemed to be thinking more than expected about what they had to write.

"Noa-san…" Noa looked at Yachi again. She looked nervous, so Noa frowned, "Karasuno High has a female volleyball team. Why don't you join them?"

Noa raised an eyebrow, "It's a waste of time. I have more important things to do, like studying in order to catch up with you. I need to be in the Advanced Class"

"But I guess you won't have any problem in English", Hinata spoke, much more interested in the conversation rather than completing those exercises.

"No… In fact, Math, Physics and Chemistry are exactly the same no matter where you are, so that's an advantage. Besides, I've always been good at numbers. History isn't a big deal neither because it's enough for me if I read it a couple of times"

"Are you serious?"

"Yeah! Sure! It's the same as reading a story. The only thing I have to do is to write down the dates and names if I want to remember them well. My main problem though is Japanese and Japanese Modern Literature"

"You are fantastic, Noa-san!" Hinata yelled as Noa's cheeks turned red.

"Takeda-sensei teaches Japanese Modern Literature. You won't have any problem", Yachi added.

"Yeah… He's being my counselor these days. We'll have a tutorial this afternoon, but I don't want to bother him a lot", Noa jumped a little bit when she remembered what Takeda-sensei told her that morning, "I didn't know he is the faculty advisor of the volleyball team. He told me this morning"

Hinata and Yachi nodded, but it was Yachi who spoke again, "You know I can help you too"

"Oh! I don't want to bother you more than necessary. You're already helping Hinata and Kageyama with their exams. I could do well by myself"

"Are you sure?"

Noa nodded to answer Yachi's question.

"Maybe you could ask Tsukishima for some help", Hinata remained silent for a few seconds, "He's really smart, but well… I guess he's not a good teacher…"

"I finished!" Kageyama who hadn't say a word until that moment gave Noa the paper with all the exercises done.

"How fast! You've finished before me!", Hinata moaned.

"That's because I'm not talking all the time, you, dumbass!"

Yachi giggled nervously when the two boys started to argue as they were saying all kind of nonsense to each other.

Meanwhile, Noa read Kageyama's answers. She was really surprised because he did such a good work which meant that he had understood everything she had explained, so Noa felt a certain satisfaction. She was glad she could have helped them. "Kageyama, don't forget about the 's' when you are using the third person in singular"

The boy took the paper in return to watch the mistakes he had made, "I think it's much easier if we learn this way. You should help us studying English", Hinata jumped and hit Kageyama on the ribs. After that and before Kageyama could say or do something, Hinata pointed at Yachi, "I… I… Well", Kegeyama's cheeks turned red. He was being completely unaware of Yachi's presence and how hard she had been working to help them.

"I-It doesn't matter", Yachi smiled nervously as she tried to fix the situation, "I think it would be better if Noa-san helped you with English. I'll do it with the rest of the subjects", Yachi turned to face Noa, "But only if you are okay with that"

"Yeah! There's no problem... But I warn you. I'm such a demanding person", she answered crossing her arms. As soon as Noa decided to help them, Kageyama and Hinata were already regretting that decision.

"Hey! Have you thought about joining the female volleyball team?"

Noa rolled her eyes. Those boys were something.

It was Hinata who answered, "We've already talked about that and she said no, Kageyama! You should pay attention to other people conversations!"

"I was doing the exercises while you were talking!"

Noa couldn't help but smile when she saw them having an argument again. Kageyama had a point, but she thought they were acting as if they were children.

"That one Tsukishima you have mentioned before, Hinata… Is he on the team?"

Hinata stopped paying attention to Kageyama to answer her, "Yes. He's middle blocker, like me. But he's much taller than me…" he mumbled, clearly frustrated for this height.

Noa laughed, "Do you think he would like to help me?"

"Don't ask him for some help", Kagayama frowned, "He'll make you beg him", he added while he clenched his fists when he remembered the moment when they asked him for some help with their studies.

"You're exaggerating!" Hinata yelled, "He wanted you to ask him too"

"Tsukishima is very intelligent. He's in the other advanced class for the first years", Yachi followed, "You can come one day to practice and ask him"

Noa grimaced. She wasn't sure she really wanted to step on a gym to see some teenage boys playing volleyball. It turned her stomach.

"Yes, please!" Hinata was very excited about it, "On Friday we have a practice match against Ouginshi. You should come"

"I don't think that's a good idea…"

"Don't worry. I can ask Kiyoko-san if you can come. But I think she'll be okay with that", Yachi said showing a big smile, "It will be my first match, so I'll need some extra help"

"Oh yeah… I told you I would help you with volleyball…" Noa was starting to regret that.

"So it's decided then!"nHinata stood up, "You'll come to see us on Friday! You'll see! You won't regret it!"

"Don't make those kind of decisions all by yourself!" Kageyama replied while he stood up too.

The two boys picked their things up and they left the classroom waving goodbye to them while they kept arguing about the fact that Hinata was taking Noa's presence in the match for granted.

"They are funny", Noa said with a smile on her face.

"Yes", Yachi answered still looking at the door, although Hinata and Kageyama had already left.

Since Noa met Hinata and Kageyama, she had only one thing in mind: volleyball. She had promised not to grab a ball anymore and she didn't want to join any school club, but a little voice in her head was telling her that she was completely wrong. hat's more, taking into account her problems with some subjects, Noa felt her head was about to explode. Maybe she was thinking too much about it and she should take a break, but she couldn't do it when she had classhool with Takeda-sensei.

It was truly fascinating Takeda-sensei's enthusiasm every time he was trying to explain something. Noa was keeping up with him and she understood everything he was telling her, but she couldn't help but look at him full of admiration because Takeda-sensei seemed to enjoy so much his work. Noah had never had teachers like him, so she was having such a curious experience.

"Takeda-sensei, may I ask you a question?"

Her teacher stopped his explanation of the text they were reading and he looked at her curious, "What's wrong? Is there something you don't understand?

"Oh no", Noa remained silent for a few seconds, "Do you know something about the female volleyball team?" Takeda-sensei frowned."Oh! It's not like I wasn't listening to you. Actually, I was. Really", Noa blushed, "But I've spent all day thinking about it"

Takeda's expression changed. It was more gentle, "Well… I don't know much about its situation, but the third years left the team after losing the first match in the Interhigh"

"And what is doing the team now?" Noa shrugged, "I've met Hinata and Kageyama today. They're in the volleyball team, so I guess you'll know them", Takeda nodded, "They are so excited about competing in the Spring High Preliminaries. Are the girls doing something like that too?"

"The female volleyball team has only a few members. With the third years out of the team, they haven't got enough members to compete"

"That's so sad…"

"Yes…" Takeda-sensei bowed his head, "I don't know if they keep practicing because I know there are some members of the male volleyball team who practice until late in order to get ready for the Tokyo expedition in the same gym the girls did before"

Noa clenched her fists and she bit her lip. She felt sorry for them. Maybe their situation wasn't the same, but she could imagine the kind of emptiness all those girls were feeling if they couldn't keep doing what they liked. Maybe she should go to see them practice one day. Nothing bad could happen, right?

When the class finished and Noa went out of high school, it was already night. She realized she should be quick if she didn't want to worry her dad and, besides, she had to get dinner ready just like she had been doing the past few days.

When she was walking home, she couldn't stop thinking about the same thing. It was like she couldn't help but process all over again what she had spoken with Hinata and Kageyama. She was feeling that people in general was expecting great things from her, things she wasn't sure she could ever achieve.

"Noa-san!"

Noa raised her head. Hinata was standing in front of a store and he was waving at her. Next to him was Kageyama, who seemed to be eating something. Near them, there were two more boys, but Noa couldn't see well their faces due to the lack of light.

Noa waved back at him, "Hi, guys!"

"Yo", Kageyama replied while he was still focused on whatever he was eating.

As she was getting closer, Noa could see the two other boys' faces much better. One of them was tall and had his head shaved. The other one, however, seemed smaller than Hinata, even smaller than her, although his hairstyle gave him a couple of extra centimeters. What's more, she noticed that all of them were wearing their tracksuits.

"How was your class with Takeda-sensei?" Hinata asked.

"Great. Although I'm exhausted"

"That explains why Takeda-sensei hasn't come to practice…" the shaved haired boy said.

"Oh!" Hinata jumped after realizing he hadn't introduced them and pointed at the two other boys. "They are Tanaka-san and Nishinoya-san. They are on the team too. She's Noa-san. She's new!"

Tanaka and Nishinoya stepped forward and they greeted Noa eagerly. She just giggled nervously as she wasn't used to talking to so many people at the same time since she arrived in Japan. "I'm so nice to meet you"

"Noa-san", Hinata drew her attention, "Tsukishima is still inside. He's buying something to eat, but I can tell him that…"

"Oh! It doesn't matter", Noa smiled especially because Hinata remembered their conversation that morning and that made her weirdly happy, "I should go now. I'm going to be late and I don't want to worry my dad"

Noa turned around and she almost started running. She waved goodbye at them and then she turned to left, vanishing when she turned the corner.

"Who were you talking to?"

The four boys turned around to face Sagawara and Daichi who offered them more food after the hard practice.

"An angel", answered Tanaka and Nishinoya at the same time.

"It was Noa-san!"

"Noa-san?" answered Daichi.

"She's Yachi-san's friend. She'll come to see us play on Friday!"

Hinata's words got Tanaka and Nishinoya excited, but they were cut off quickly by Daichi. He didn't want them to scare that poor girl. However, although he hadn't seen her, Daichi thought about her for a few seconds. _Noa… Noa isn't a common name, isn't it?_ , he thought carefully while he ordered everybody to move away from Ukai's family store door.

 **...**

"Are you still making dinner?"

Noa nodded while she was looking at the meat frying in the pan as soon as she heard her father's voice behind her. Furihata Hayate who had just arrived home was taking off his coat and then he left it in a chair in the kitchen where he took a seat.

"Yes. I've spent more time than expected at high school, So I came home late, but dinner is ready", she answered while she was serving the food, "I had a class with Takeda-sensei today", she added as she gave her father his plate.

"A class?"

"Yeah. A tutorial", Noa sat down in front of her father, "The exams are next week and I'm having so much trouble with Japanese and Japanese Modern Literature, so I asked my teacher for some help"

Her father didn't say anything and he started to eat in silence. Noa didn't know if she should have taken that reaction badly. Was it right what she had done? From her point of view, asking somebody for some help if needed wasn't a bad thing. But she wasn't able to read her father's mind.

"Are you having another tutorial on Friday?", her father broke the silence.

"N-No"

"Good. Because we'll have dinner with Miyoko and his son"

Noa blinked several times. Had she heard well?

"We'll go to a good restaurant", her father followed as Noa wasn't able to speak a word, "So I want you to be back as soon as possible, so you could get ready for the dinner. I've bought you a dress when I was on my way home"

Her father pointed at a bag that was hanging from one of the chairs and Noa turned her nose at it.

"I hate dresses"

Her father frowned, "So what are you going to wear at the wedding then?"

"A dress, I guess… But for that dinner I don't want to be dressed like that"

She truly appreciated her father's good intention, but it was confirmed that he didn't know anything about this own daughter.

"Whatever", her father wiped his mouth and he stood up, "Clean up before going to bed"

Noa sighed and she bowed her head once her father had already left the kitchen. She was used to do everything alone since she was a child. She used to cook her own food or tidy her things up, but her father's words saddened her more than necessary. And she couldn't understand it. She couldn't understand what he exactly wanted from her.

* * *

 **~See you next time!**


	6. The path under the sun

**A/N: Finally chapter five is here! I hope you like it and everything is clear.  
Thanks for all the follows and favorites. This is truly amazing! And, of course, thanks to CocoaFirefly and xOphiuchusx for your reviews (** **xOphiuchusx qué alegría que seas española jajaja Gracias por las reviews y me alegro de que te esté gustando esta historia. No puedes ni imaginarte lo que me está costando escribirla xD)**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Haikyuu and its characters**

* * *

 **CHAPTER FIVE  
** The path under the sun **  
**

Noa smirked. She had just probably made the most inedible sponge cake ever. It wasn't burned, but it wasn't well baked on the inside either. It was like a balloon which was getting flat.

So it was official. Home Economics wasn't her thing. That was the first time she had cooked a dessert and it was clearly obvious that she could do much better. It wasn't that she wasn't good at cooking, but everybody knows how to fry an egg. Preparing more complicated recipes or, without going any further, the simplest pastry-making were things completely different.

She sighed and she picked her things up after having put the sponge cake in a container. At first, she thought it would be a good idea if she gave it as a present to Hinata, Yachi and Kageyama after the match. Since Wednesday, she had spent a lot of time with them as she was helping the two boys to study English. They were so nice to her and they had even exchanged their phone numbers and emails in order to keep in touch after classes. But, at that moment, she had changed her mind. She couldn't give them that cooking abomination. She wanted to get along with them, not scare them.

She walked through the campus trying to remember where the gym where the volleyball team used for practicing was. She wouldn't deny it. She was extremely nervous, especially because she was going to meet a bunch of teenagers. She wasn't especially good at dealing with them. In fact, she felt uncomfortable in their company because she didn't know how she should talk to them.

She stopped in front of the door gym. She was wearing her uniform, but she hoped it didn't matter she didn't bring her tracksuit. She swallowed hard and then she took a step in the gym, but, surprisingly, she only saw four girls inside. Noa blinked a couple of times. They were playing volleyball.

"May I help you?" a girl with short brown hair asked her.

"I…" Noa hesitated, "I think I went into the wrong gym… I mean… I came to see the male volleyball team"

"It's the big one" After answering, the girl grabbed a ball. She tossed it and then she hit it hardly.

Noa watched them play carefully. They weren't bad, but they weren't brilliant either. They lacked something. It was like if they had forgotten their playing spirit and that bothered Noa a lot. She was convinced that they could do much better.

After that, Noa realized that they were alone in the gym. There was no teacher and no coach, so Noa felt a certain sadness. Not only had the players given up, the rest of the high school had given up too.

Noa jumped a little bit when she felt something grazing her right shoe as she was so caught up by her thoughts. When she looked at the floor, she saw a ball. The four other girls were looking at her curiously, waiting for Noa to give them back the ball. Noa, though, watched the ball carefully and she felt sick when she picked it up. She hit the ball giving it back using the back of her wirst. The girls looked at her slightly impressed, so Noa smirked, feeling uncomfortable.

Noa turned around and she left the gym as fast as she could. She needed some fresh air because she felt she was going to faint. She breathed trying to fill her lungs with some air. Those four girls should have thought that she was some kind of disturbed girl. But she couldn't help it. She wasn't able to move when she had watched them play.

"Noa-san! Hurry up!"

Noa turned around to see Yachi running towards her. Her friend wasn't wearing the uniform. Instead she was wearing a tracksuit which showed that she was in the Karasuno's volleyball team.

"I'm so sorry", Noa apologized, "Is it too late?"

"A little bit. The Ouginshi boys are already here. Everyone is warming up", Yachi asked her to follow her, "You should leave everything in the locker room"

Noa nodded and she followed Yachi. Once she left everything in the locker room, Yachi and Noa went to the gym. From the outside, Noa could hear the noise of squeaking sneakers against the wood floor.

"Are you ready?" Yachi asked with a smile on her face.

"I think so"

Yachi opened the door and they went into the gym. As soon as Noa was inside, she felt all eyes on her. She tried not to pay attention to anyone in particular, but it was almost impossible when she saw a black haired girl who seemed to be Kiyoko, the team manager. She was truly astonishing. Her presence was even intimidating, so Noa was incapable of looking at her.

"Are you Noa-san?" Kiyoko asked as she was getting close to them. She was probably the most beautiful girl she had ever seen, "I'm Shimizu Kiyoko"

"I'm so nice to meet you", Noa smiled.

"Hitoka-san is always saying nice things about you"

"Noa-san!" Hinata approached.

"Oh! Hi, Hinata!"

"You have to meet everyone in the team! Tsukishima is here too! And Tanaka and Nishinoya! Did you remember them? You met them last Wednesday!"

"Umm… Yeah", Noa said clearly amused by Hinata's words. He was like a bundle of energy.

Kiyoko giggled, "Hinata, you should keep warming up. The match is going to start soon"

"Oh yeah! That's true!" Hinata blushed, "We'll talk later, Noa-san!"

Noa smiled at Hinata and she sighed when the orange haired boy turned around. She couldn't believe how much energy he had. It was overwhelming.

"Hitoka-san told me that you know about volleyball", Kiyoko followed as Noa nodded in response, "Would you mind being the second referee?"

"No. It's fine"

It was crazy. The boys were full of energy and Noa could feel that they get along well. Just like Hinata told her, Nishinoya and Tanaka were there. When the two boys saw her standing next to the bench, they greeted her warmly. Noa waved back at them, so they screamed raising their hands and yelling all kind of nonsenses until they were stopped by a boy who seemed to be the captain of the volleyball team. Kageyama was there too. But he was so focus on warming up that he didn't even realize that Noa was there.

It was quite a surprise too when she spotted two other boys she already knew. Her legs shook. She remembered them too well. They were the third-years she had run into on her first day. However, she felt the world had stopped the moment she saw them, the freckled boy and, especially, the blond boy with glasses. The latter was supposed to live on the same street and, if he was the same boy Miyoko had greeted in her first night in Japan, that meant that… _Nah… That's impossible_ , Noa thought. It was night. They couldn't be the same person because that could only mean that the volleyball team captain was Miyoko's son. And those were so many coincidences.

"Furihata-san!"

"Takeda-sensei!" Noa smiled at her teacher.

"What a surprise! I didn't know you were the friend Hinata and Yachi wanted to come to see the match"

"Yeah…" Noa blushed, "They insisted so…"

"No. I think it's perfect. You need some rest too. You've been working hard for the exams"

"Thank you, Takeda-sensei"

"Enjoy the match"

Noa nodded and then she stood next to the net and near the referee. Meanwhile, the two teams lined up. Hinata and Kageyama were playing from the start, so Noa gave them the thumbs-up. Only Hinata answered and, surprisingly, Tanaka too who waved at her eagerly from their positions.

And then the match started.

Noa wasn't able to analyze accurately the way the Karasuno's players were moving. She had to keep an eye on the ball as she had promised to be the second referee. However, she was able to see for herself that they worked as a team, but they had so many things to improve and the receives were one of them. Noa could understand them because she had always been terrible at receives, but the only way to improve was receiving all the time.

What's more, they were a bulldozer when they attacked. Everyone had a powerful spike. But if Noa thought she had seen everything, she was completely wrong. Hinata and Kageyama did something marvelous. Noa felt the same feeling she had when she swore Hinata had passed her by running at high speed. Just like he did that day, Hinata ran through the court, he went from one side to the court to another. He jumped and he spiked the ball Kageyama had just set as if he knew where his teammate was going to jump.

It was like the world had stopped for a minute.

Noa watched how Hinata was almost flying thanks to a pair of black wings on his back. Noa couldn't afford a single blink because she wanted to remember that moment forever. She wanted to remember Hinata's spike and how the ball hit the floor with a thud.

"Was it in?"

"W-What?" Noa asked the referee. She was completely shocked because of what she had just witnessed.

"Was the ball in?"

"Oh! Yeah!"

The referee nodded and blew the whistle. It was a point for Karasuno.

Noa bit her lip. She felt butterflies in her stomach. She had never seen something like that before. It was as if at that moment Hinata was the sun that lights up everyone with its presence. He was the sun which was showing her the path she should take. That's when Noa realized she should, at least, talk to the girls of the female volleyball team before making a decision. She had been thinking about it since she had talked about it with Hinata and Kageyama on Wednesday. If she should join the female volleyball team or not.

Finally, Karasuno won the practice match easily. Yachi looked so excited as she started yelling with Hinata and Kageyama about how awesome their quick attack was. That made Noa smile who was watching them from the distance. It seemed that it was the first time Yachi had seen that spike too.

"Do I know you?"

Noa jumped a little bit when she heard a male voice behind her. When she turned around, she saw the third-year boy who had gray hair.

"Oh! I'm sorry", the boy apologized showing her a kind smile, "I didn't mean to scare you"

"It doesn't matter. It was my fault. I was miles away, you know", Noa giggled nervously.

"I'm Sugawara Koushi. You are the girl who was lost, aren't you?"

Noa nodded, "Furihata Noa. Thanks for helping me"

"You're welcome. It was a surprise you came to watch us play", the boy waved at one of his teammates. "Hey! Asahi! She's the girl you scared last Monday! You should apologize properly!"

"What!? No, no. He didn't scare me at all", Noa blushed when she saw Asahi getting close to them, "It wasn't a big deal. Seriously"

"Don't worry. You're not the first girl who is frightened by Asahi"

"I'm serious. I was walking without paying much attention. That's why I ran into him. That's all"

"What a relief", Asahi sighed, scratching his head ashamed.

"Are you scaring again the first-year girls?" the Karasuno captain was standing next to Noa. When she looked at him he stuck his hand out in front of her, "I'm Sawamura Daichi. Hinata, Kageyama and Yachi are such bad friends. They didn't introduce us. You are Noa-san, right?"

Noa smiled. She took his hand and shook it energetically, "Yeah. That's me"

"Hinata is always talking about you", Sugawara followed. "He told us you know a bit about volleyball"

"Yeah… Something like that…" Noa blushed again. Seriously, did Hinata talk so much about her?

"Did you like the match?" Daichi asked her.

"You were fantastic. Asahi-san, your spike is truly amazing", Noa confessed as she was clearly embarrassed about talking to Asahi directly.

"Tha-Thank you", Karasuno's ace blushed a little bit while Sugawara patted his back maybe harder than expected.

Noa giggled shyly, "Hinata and Kageyama's quick attack has been amazing. But I think they should improve it. Maybe they should think about some variations because sooner or later the defenses will find a way of stopping it"

Daichi nodded, "You're right. They are already working on it"

"On the other hand… You have such a good libero, but the rest of you should work on your receives. Well… Your receives are pretty good though", Noa added, trying to apologize to Daichi, "I mean…" she sighed. "You should probably think that I'm a meddler"

"Don't apologize", Daichi smiled, "I think it's good to hear other people's opinion. Besides, you haven't said anything we don't know. We know we have to improve a lot"

"That's great. Hinata and Yachi told me that you are going to Tokyo next weekend, right after the exams"

"You're right. We'll take advantage of this opportunity. We are going to put into practice all of this"

"Oh! I'd love to see that!" Noa's eyes sparkled.

Daichi laughed, "I thought Hinata and Yachi were exaggerating when they said you liked volleyball"

"Actually I used to play beach volleyball, but I'm sure they didn't mention that. They only remember the volleyball part"

"Well, I guess that's something Hinata would do", Daichi rolled his eyes, "But I thought beach volleyball was different from indoor volleyball"

"Actually beach volleyball is fundamentally similar to indoor volleyball. But in beach volleyball there's only two players in each team and they don't have permanent positions. That's why a beach volleyball player must master almost all positions. There's no substitutions either and the dimensions of the court are smaller. These are some of their major differences"

"Then it must be more tiring", Sugawara told.

Noa shrugged, "I guess… Playing in the sand demands a lot of resistance, but I've been playing for so long, so my body is used to it"

"That's a pity. We couldn't do our synchronized attack in beach volleyball"

"Synchronized attack?" Noa repeated after hearing Daichi's words.

Daichi nodded, "We have a lot of things to improve, but we are working on a move in which everyone who is in the court has the chance of hitting the ball. The setter has to decide which one has more scoring possibilities"

"But that involves a lot of risks. Although the possibilities decrease, your rivals could still manage to read the trajectory of the spike. Besides, you rely on the setter's decision who has little time to think which is the best option"

"That's why we are going to put it into practice in Tokyo"

Daichi was a fantastic guy. At least, that was Noa's first impression when she met Karasuno's captain. The conversation was natural and, although they were only talking about volleyball, Noa felt that she could change the topic and nothing would change between them.

It was weird, but Noa had already experienced something like that before. She had already had that odd feeling; as if she knew somebody since forever. Miyoko and Noa had got along well and at that moment she felt that it was happening again. It was like Daichi and her had run into after a long time and she hoped she wasn't the only one who was feeling that.

"Noa-san!, Noa stopped paying attention to Daichi when she saw the Karasuno's libero, Nishinoya, running towards them, "How have I been? I was fantastic, wasn't I?"

"You can't deny my spikes are spectacular!" Tanaka followed as he got close to them too.

"Y-Yes", Noa answered.

Daichi looked daggers at his teammates, "Leave the girl alone and start practicing!"

"Yes, sir!" the two boys saluted at the same time and they turned around to join the rest of the team.

"Do you want to see our practice too?" Daichi invited her before joining his teammates.

Noa's eye glowed, "I'd love to!"

It'd been a long time since Noa went to practice, although it was just as an observer. However, she ended up helping Kiyoko and Yachi. It was fun spending so much time with all of them, especially with Yachi because Noa was starting to know her better. They could talk and laugh, even though Tanaka, Nishinoya and Hinata were responsible of every joke the two girls were laughing at. It didn't matter how much Daichi tried to control them, he couldn't beat them.

Yachi pointed out too who was each member of the team, including the other three second-years alongside Tanaka and Nishinoya. Ennoshita Chikara, Kinoshita Hisashi and Narita Kazuhito were much more measured than their teammates.

On the other hand, Yamaguchi was the freckled boy's name she saw almost every morning when she was going to high school. Tsukishima was the blonde's boy who was always with him and, definitely, he couldn't be her neighbor. Besides, Yamaguchi ended up being much nicer than Tsukishima who only looked at Noa sideways from the other side of the court.

"It seems Daichi-san and you get along well", Yachi told while she kept putting the volleyballs in a metal cart.

Noa shrugged while she helped her, "I think he's a nice guy. He looks like a father", Noa giggled, "Although I have to admit that the third-years are quite different from the rest"

"Well… I was surprised. I thought you were going to be frightened by the boys"

"Scare me? Why?"

"W-Well… They are pretty noisy…" Yachi blushed, "I was so scared when I met them. I was intimidated by them, especially by Asahi-san. I thought he was going to kill me"

Noa grinned, "So you are one of those girls Sugawara told me…" Noa took the mop to clean the floor, "I don't know why you were so scared. I think Asahi-san is really cute"

Yachi went silent as she watched her in surprise. Noa continued cleaning the floor until she realized her friend's eyes fixed on her. Noa stopped and looked at her raising an eyebrow as she couldn't understand what was going on. It had to be something she had just said, so she tried to remember everything. Word for word.

And then she remembered. That couldn't be true. Did she actually said she thought that Asahi was cute? What the hell was she thinking!? Well, it was obvious that she wasn't thinking. Yachi seemed as surprised as her.

"I… I mean…" Noa tried to explain it, "It doesn't mean I like him. I mean… Yeah. Well… I said he is cute, but it's not like I'm in love or something. I've just met him!"

Noa's ears turned red. What the hell was happening? What the hell was she saying? She couldn't be more stupid. And, then, Yachi burst into laughter, so Noa blinked in confusion. "Don't try to explain it. It's getting worse!" Yachi kept laughing, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't laugh, but your face is priceless"

"Shut up", Noa said smiling at Yachi as the two girls started rolling up the net.

"So… Asahi-san…" Yachi mumbled still grinning.

"Don't say a word or I'll kill you"

Yachi chuckled.

"Noa-san!"

 _Saved by the bell_ , Noa thought when she saw Hinata running towards them. The orange haired boy looked as excited as always.

"Why were you laughing?"

Yachi opened her mouth, but Noa put her hand on Yachi's mouth as she answered Hinata, "Nothing"

"Noa-san! You have to come more often! We should play a match together!"

"Yeah. Sure", Noa answered automatically, still looking daggers at Yachi who was clearly ignoring her.

"When we finished tidying up the gym we'll go to coach Ukai's family store to eat some meat buns. Will you come?"

"Come on!" Daichi yelled, "It's getting late!"

"What time is it?" Noa asked as soon as she remembered the dinner with Miyoko and her son.

"It's almost seven", Yachi answered.

"What!? You have to be kidding me!" Noa threw the mop and ran towards the door. She had to pick up her backpack and the sponge cake she had baked in her Home Economics class, "I have to go. My father is going to kill me. I'll make it up to you, Yachi!"

"It doesn't matter! You didn't even have to help us in the first place" Yachi followed, although Noah had already left the gym.

"So… Isn't she coming?" Hinata asked innocently, "We needed to talk about tomorrow. She was going to help me to study English"

 **...**

Noa couldn't understand why she was always running everywhere.

She could imagine it. Her father waiting for her in the hall, possibly cursing her for not being punctual. She was late. She already knew that. So, when she opened the door, she took her shoes off and she went into the living room where Furihata Hayate was waiting for her with his arms crossed.

"I know. I know", Noa excused herself, leaving her embarrassing sponge cake on the table, "I was held up more than expected"

"Hurry up, young lady!" her father scolded her, "We are going to be late"

"Oh! Just a tip. If I were you, I'll throw away that sponge cake! It would probably poison you!" she yelled as she went upstairs.

She needed to have a shower and change her clothes. She dried her hair with a towel. She hoped it didn't look messy as she decided not to brushed looked in the mirror. She was wearing a plain yellow blouse, jeans and a pair of white sandals. Then she took her bag in which she put her mobile phone and she went downstairs.

Her father was already waiting for her next to the door. "It took you 30 minutes!" her father complained.

"Only?"

Her father looked daggers at her while they were getting in the car. Her father clearly disapproved what she was wearing, so Noa rolled her eyes every time she caught him looking her up and down. "I know what you are thinking", Noa confessed. Her father raised an eyebrow, "I should be wearing that dress you bought me"

"I'm not in the mood for jokes, Noa", her father warned her, "But I hoped you could look like a lady"

"What!?" Noa frowned, "So what the hell do I look like now?"

Her father didn't answer as he got out of the car. Noa clicked her tongue and she followed him. They walked in silence until they arrived at a restaurant which had a couple of lanterns in the door.

"You can come in. I booked by phone. I'll wait for them outside"

"Whatever"

Noa turned around and she went into the local. Then she understood why her father had told her so many times that she should be wearing that awful dress. That place was unbelievably elegant. She felt out of place.

"May I help you, miss?" a waiter asked her as soon as he saw Noa standing next to the door.

"Mmm… My father booked by phone. His name is Furihata Hayate"

The waiter nodded. He didn't even need to check the reservation out. _Impressive_ , Noa thought. He led her to a table away from the noise where they could have more privacy.

"Would you like something to drink while you wait?"

"No. It's fine. Thank you"

He bowed to her and then he left her alone.

Noa toyed with one of the napkins while she waited. She was getting more and more nervous. How would be Miyoko's son? Would they get along? Would he be a nice boy or would he be a moron who would make her life miserable?

A few minutes later, Noa caught sight of Miyoko's shiny hair. She was getting close, so Noa stood up to greet her. Her father was right behind Miyoko who was wearing a beautiful violet dress.

"How are you, Noa-san?"

"Fine", Noa answered frowning. Why wasn't her son there too?

"Daichi will be here right away. He needed to go to the toilet", Miyoko sighed.

Hold on a second. Daichi!?

"He had to get ready quickly. My son is hopeless…" Miyoko added showing a big smile.

"Don't blame him. He's a hard-working boy", Furihata Hayate excused him, "It's good he can balance the team and the classes"

Noa felt her heart beating fast. They were joking, right?

But no, it wasn't a joke. As soon as she raised her head, she saw Daichi's eyes on her. Karasuno's captain was standing right behind his mother and he seemed as surprised as her. "Noa-san?"

 _Blink_

 _Blink_

"Oh! You're already here", Furihata Hayate smiled when he noticed Daichi's presence.

"Wait… Have you two already met?" Miyoko asked.

"We have met today. Noa-san has come to watch us play our practice match against Ouginshi", Daichi answered while he took a seat next to his mother.

"A practice match?" Furihata Hayate asked looking at Noa in a suspicious way.

"I met Yachi on my first day at high school and she asked me for some help… Well… Actually it was Hinata who asked me to watch them play… I'm helping him to study English. Hinata and Kageyama, I mean"

"You haven't told me about that"

"Yeah… Well", Noa started feeling uncomfortable.

"Are you playing volleyball again?"

"Is that your only concern? Really!?" that questioning was starting to bother her.

"Well… Then that makes things much easier", Miyoko spoke trying to relax father and daughter, "This was such a huge surprise"

Everyone went silent. Noa could see how Miyoko shared a reproving stare with her father and she couldn't help but click her tongue. She couldn't understand sometimes how a woman like Miyoko could like someone as controlling as her father.

Fortunately, the dinner was much nicer than expected. They chatted about high school and work which help to improve the bad atmosphere that was created at first by Noa and her father. Thanks to that Noa came to the conclusion that Daichi looked like his mother and not only physically. They behaved quite similar. Mother and son understood each other so well and Noa was a little bit jealous of the good relationship they had.

"I guess you'll have already imagined it, but this dinner has another purpose", Furihata Hayate wiped his mouth before talking again, "As you know, Miyoko and I are going to get married soon and we wanted to talk to you about it"

Miyoko took Noa's father hand, "We'll get married when Daichi came back from his trip to Tokyo"

"That's so fast!" Miyoko, Daichi and her father looked at Noa surprised, "I mean… The wedding would be in two weeks more or less. I don't think there is enough time to prepare everything"

Miyoko smiled, "Don't worry. It won't be a big ceremony. We want it to be something private and simple, so it won't be necessary so much planning"

"When Daichi come back they'll finish their move out too", Noa's father explained.

"We think it would be better if we live all together as soon as possible", Miyoko followed.

Daichi and Noa exchanged looks. It was going to be weird share the same roof with someone new, especially when the two of them were an only child. They should learn how to share and, most important, they should try to understand each other.

"Oh! But we have more good news!" Miyoko seemed pretty excited, "Tell them, my love!"

"We have thought about doing a short trip. Something like a honeymoon. We won't be far from here. Sirahama. We'll spend some days there"

"And we have booked the weekend for four people!"

"That's right. We will be leaving on Wednesday and you'll leave on Friday night, after classes. As you can see, you'll be alone for two days. But we are sure you could do well together"

"I want you to know that this is so important for us", Miyoko followed, "It will be our first family trip and I think it would be a good way to get to know each other better"

"I've never been in Sirahama", Daichi said, "I've heard there are good beaches there"

"I guess you'll miss having the beach near from home", Furihata Hayate looked at her daughter.

"Yes!" she answered as her eyes sparkled.

She missed the beach so much. In the United States, she lived near the beach, the weather was good and she had an outlet when she needed a break. That's how she discovered beach volleyball when she was around 10. At that moment, Noa went to the beach every weekend in order to watch a group of teenagers play. As the months went by, they invited her to join them and that's how she learnt the basic rules. After that, Noa finally persuaded Lizzie, her neighbor and best friend since Noa went to the United States, to play beach volleyball with her. And Lizzie also liked it. Much later they met Gabriel, who became their coach. He was the one who improved their skills and showed them what they were capable of.

"This is crazy, right?" Daichi told her after dinner. Their parents had come across some friends when they were leaving the restaurant, so Noa and Daichi were waiting for them outside the building, "I was nervous to meet you"

"Yeah… Me too", Noa confessed.

"But I'm glad it's you. You seem to be a good girl"

Noa blushed, "This is weird. I think it's going to be the first time I'll have a true family, so I hope we got along well"

Daichi looked at her and nodded. He agreed with her. He was going to made an effort. Everything was going to be okay. "You know? When we came back from Tokyo, you could come one day and play with us. We'll have a match"

"A match?" Noa raised an eyebrow.

"Yes. I'm sure Hinata would be dying to play with you. We'll have a practice match between us"

Noa didn't answer. She had promised she wouldn't grab a ball anymore. But, since she was in Japan, she felt everything was changing. Everyone she had met and everything she was experiencing had something to do with volleyball. Maybe the universe was trying to tell her something. And it couldn't be clearer. She should play volleyball again. Or, at least, she should try it.

Then she remembered something, "Speaking of Hinata… He's going to kill me. I promised him we'll meet up tomorrow, but I left the gym quickly. It's our final push before the exams. Maybe I should text him"

"So it's true Yachi and you are helping Hinata and Kageyama…"

Noa nodded eagerly, "They'll pass the exams and they'll be in Tokyo!"

Daichi smiled. He hoped so.

 **...**

From: Furihata Noa

To: Hinata Shouyou

 _Hi Hinata! I'm so sorry for what happened today, but I remembered I had something important to do. I hoped we could meet tomorrow._

* * *

From: Hinata Shouyou

To: Furihata Noa

 _I'm so glad you texted me, Noa-san! Yes! Let's meet tomorrow!_

* * *

From: Furihata Noa

To: Hinata Shouyou

 _Just tell me when and where and I'll be there. But remember to bring back your books!_

* * *

From: Hinata Shouyou

To: Furihata Noa, Kageyama Tobio and Yachi Hitoka

 _We should go to Yachi's house! Why don't we study together?_

* * *

From: Kageyama Tobio

To: Furihata Noa, Hinata Shouyou and Yachi Hitoka

 _Hinata dumbass! I told you! Stop taking things for granted! Ask Yachi-san first!_

* * *

From: Yachi Hitoka

To: Furihata Noa, Hinata Shouyou and Kageyama Tobio

 _It's fine. There's no problem, Kageyama-kun._  
 _I'll send you the address._  
 _10 am. Is that okay?_

* * *

From: Hinata Shouyou

To: Furihata Noa, Kageyama Tobio and Yachi Hitoka

 _That's perfect, Yachi-san! Thank you!_  
 _We'll have so much fun!_

* * *

From: Furihata Noa

To: Hinata Shouyou, Kageyama Tobio and Yachi Hitoka

 _Shall I remember you that we are going to study?_  
 _Don't be so excited about it, Hinata. You and Kageyama have to pass your exams_

* * *

From: Yachi Hitoka

To: Furihata Noa

 _You are amazing, Noa-san. But you also scare me a lot. You're such a demanding person_

* * *

 **~See you next time!  
**


	7. Challenge accepted

**A/N: Finally! Chapter six is here! I wish I could write much better in English because I think I'm not being clear sometimes. I have a lot of ideas and I hope I'll be able to express them properly. Anyway I hoped you all liked this chapter. Thanks for following this story and, of course, thanks to yannieXD for the review. All feedback is much appreciated, so feel free to suggest me anything you want.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Haikyuu or its characters**

* * *

 **CHAPTER SIX  
** Challenge accepted **  
**

Noa closed her Japanese Modern Literature book and she put it in her backpack. After a long weekend, the exams were already here. She had spent almost every hour studying, even though Hinata was pretty excited about spending all Saturday in Yachi's house. Yachi lived with her mum, an elegant and beautiful woman who wanted her daughter to get stronger mentally. That's why, at first, Yachi wasn't sure about committing with something as important as being the manager of the male volleyball team. But, finally, Yachi stood up for herself and, surprisingly, her mum was truly happy for her. In fact, she helped Yachi to design a poster to advertise donations for the team so they could afford their Tokyo trip.

Noa went downstairs to have breakfast and cook her lunch when she heard noises coming from the kitchen. Noa frowned as she walked carefully through the hall. Her father had left for work early, so there shouldn't have been anyone at home.

"Good morning!"

Noa jumped when she noticed she wasn't alone. She felt her heart beating fast because of the shock, but she tried to stay calm when she realized who it was. "Miyoko...san?"

"Did I scare you?" she asked smiling gently, "I'm so sorry"

"What are you doing here? How did you get in? My father isn't here"

Miyoko laughed, "I have the keys. Besides, your father knew that I was coming. The painters are coming today. We are going to change the color of the hall and some rooms. There are a lot of things to do and a lot of furniture to unpack"

"Painting the rooms? Like, for example, the room which is locked?"

Miyoko seemed surprised at first, but then she answered calmly, "We use that room to keep some stuff. There's nothing special in it"

Noa raised an eyebrow. She didn't believe a word Miyoko said. She was still curious about what there was inside that room. She had been looking for the key without much success for a long time, but, when she started classes, she had to forget about that. At least for the moment.

"Could I have my room painted again?", Noa asked.

"Don't you like the color?"

"Being honest… It's depressing. It's all white. I have decorated my room, but I still prefer a brighter color"

"I'll see what I can do"

"If it's not pink, anything will be much appreciated"

Miyoko took her by the shoulders and she made her take a seat, "Come on. I've made breakfast while you were upstairs"

"It… It wasn't necessary", Noa was overwhelmed. In front of her there was a lot of dishes full of food.

"I didn't know what you like, so I've cooked a little bit of everything. When I live here, I'll cook what you like the most"

"I'm used to cooking, so you don't need to…"

Miyoko crossed her arms and she sighed, "Noa-san, you should accept my role as a stubborn stepmother. Would you do that for me?" she smiled.

Noa remained silent for a few seconds and then she smiled back at her, "Okay. Thank you"

Miyoko nodded and turned around to keep cooking whatever she was making.

Miyoko was a fantastic woman. Not only was she nice to her, she was an excellent cook too. Noa watched her while she ate her breakfast and she smiled when she saw Miyoko's enthusiasm. Noa was a bit jealous because she felt that she lacked certain spirit to keep going. That's why she was glad that Miyoko was going to be part of her life.

After finishing, she cleaned up the dishes while Miyoko looked at her.

"Have you studied a lot this weekend?"

"Yes. It's been an intense weekend"

"Daichi told me that you were going to study with some friends on Saturday"

"Yeah… I guess you could say we are friends", Noa smiled when she remembered Hinata, Kageyama and Yachi, "They are full of life and I love spending time with them. I'm glad to have met them", Noa concluded as she dried her hands with a dish towel.

Miyoko nodded and gave her the lunch. Noa blushed, but she thanked Miyoko anyway. She felt she was taking advantage of Miyoko's kindness.

Noa took her backpack. For the first time, she didn't have to run to get at high school at time which was a good way to start the exams.

"Good luck with your exams!"

Noa waved at Miyoko who said goodbye from the kitchen door before Noa went out the house. Once she was outside, Noa looked at the sky. The weather was good. The sun was shining and there wasn't a single cloud.

"Good-Good morning, Furihata-san"

Noa noticed that the freckled boy who was in the volleyball team was waiting across the street. If she remembered well his name, he was Yamaguchi Tadashi. They didn't talk to each other last Friday, when she met all Karasuno's volleyball team members, so she couldn't understand why he was there.

"Good morning", she answered finally.

Noa approached to him. Yamaguchi got more and more nervous as Noa was getting closer, so she raised an eyebrow.

"I… I was waiting for you", Yamaguchi confessed, "When I saw you on Friday I realized you were the girl we saw every morning and I guessed… Well… I thought we could go together to high school if you don't mind"

Noa didn't answer. She just stared at Yamaguchi curiously. The look she gave him made Yamaguchi much more uncomfortable, so his cheeks turned red.

"Hurry up, Yamaguchi! We are going to be late"

That's when Noa noticed they weren't alone. The blond boy who wore glasses was standing a few meters away from them. When he said that, Tsukishima Kei turned around and kept walking.

"Wait, Tsukki!" Yamaguchi yelled without much success.

Noa decided to follow Yamaguchi. Since he had taken the time to wait for her that morning, the only thing she could do was walk with him at least.

"I'm sorry about Tsukki", he tried to apologize, so Noa smiled.

Noa was speechless. Yamaguchi was a weird guy. Who the hell could wait for someone they didn't even know? How much time had he spent waiting for her? Yet, she found that goodwill gesture pretty nice, so she had a liking for him.

During their walk to high school, Yamuguchi and Noa were trying to keep up with Tsukishima's pace. He was walking faster than them, as if he was expecting them to not to catch up with him, especially Noa whose legs were much shorter. So it was official. She hated that four-eyes idiot. How was it possible that someone like Yamaguchi could put up with him? Noa and Yamaguchi talked mainly about the exams, although he told her about how he met Tsukishima. It was during school and they had been together since then. Noa was sure about it. Yamaguchi was a saint.

When they arrived to the first-years area, Yamaguchi and Noa said goodbye to each other before they went into their classes. Yamaguchi ran after Tsukishima who didn't even bother to say anything to her, not even a single 'good morning' or 'goodbye'. Noa rolled her eyes. _Idiot_ , she thought while she plopped into her desk not paying attention to Yachi's concern look.

The bell rang and everyone went silent.

The exams were about to start.

 **...**

He drank eagerly the milk he had just bought in one of the vending machines which were all over the high school campus. The sky was starting to turn orange and the few students who were still in class kept talking about their answers in their exams. He seethed. What was the point of doing that? That was stupid. What it's done, it's done and there's no coming back. They were just torturing themselves while they waited for the results.

He walked through the campus trying to clear his mind. It had been a long time since the last time he had been in a classroom. The classes had started a few months ago, but he was still like a fish out of water. He wasn't able to get along with his classmates maybe because he was too straightforward or maybe because he was a year older than them.

He didn't like them. He felt sometimes like they looked down on him. He should be a second-year instead of a first-year, so what? They didn't know him. They hadn't even bothered to know him. They didn't have the right to judge him. That's why he wasn't going to let that kind of things affect him.

That's when he saw her. Noa McCormack or Furihata Noa was a few meters away from him. She was too caught up doing something so she didn't notice him. It seemed like she was spying through the window of one of the Karasuno's gyms. He grinned and hid behind a column to watch her better.

She was a beautiful girl. Her tanned skin, her big brown eyes, her straight long black hair and that mixed race made her a beauty. But he wasn't interested in those things. He remembered the first time he had seen her in the high school hallways talking to a first-year, just like her, who was shorter than Noa and had her hair tied up in a side ponytail. He had sworn he had seen her somewhere, but he had preferred to wait. Afterwards he had done some research and he did know her. She was Noa McCormack. He had seen her in some magazines or newspapers. She was one of the most promising talents in America.

Anyway, he wasn't a stalker. He had always loved sports and, due to circumstances that won't be explain yet, he had ended up watching some beach volleyball matches. That's how he had known about her.

The first time he saw her play he thought she was like a hurricane, a force of the nature. He didn't know anything about beach volleyball, but he admired her just because he could feel through his computer screen that she never gave up. Not even when she and her teammate were going to lose the match.

He had considered to talk to her more than once, but he had never found the right words. He only watched her walk through the campus and that's how he found out that she flirted with volleyball.

He couldn't see her face, but he was sure that her eyes were glowing when she went into that gym for the first time and she saw the few female volleyball team members left. He could feel it too, how much she wanted to grab a ball again. That's why he smiled when he found out she was spying on the girls. It was like he could read her mind. She will end up joining the team. He felt that he could help them just as Noa wished that she could be part of something.

Finally, he decided to come out from his hiding place to talk to her, but then he stopped. He changed his mind when he saw Sawamura Daichi getting closer to her stealthily. The girl jumped and hit him in his arm while Karasuno's captain laughed. He frowned. Why was a third-year boy being so close to a first-year girl? He watched them talk for a few seconds and then he sighed. Maybe he should wait a bit longer.

Meanwhile, he was going to keep working on his female volleyball team comeback plan.

 **...**

Noa clicked her tongue. She had spent most of the time watching the female volleyball team practicing. She wished she could have enough courage to go into the gym and tell them that she wanted to join the team or, at least, try to. She had never played indoor volleyball, but it couldn't be much more difficult than beach volleyball, could it?

"Spying on the girls?"

Noa jumped when she heard a male voice behind her. When she turned around, she ran into Daichi who was looking at her with his hands on his hips. "Holy shit! You scared me!" Noa hit him in the arm.

"Sorry, sorry", Daichi said still laughing, "Are you going to tell me what are you doing?"

Noa went silent. She looked away, clearly ashamed. She didn't want to confess that she had been spying on the female volleyball team, but it didn't make sense denying something that it was more than obvious. "May I talk to you about something?" she finally said and Daichi nodded. Noa seemed to be having a rough time, so he was worried about her.

They got away from the gym and they got close to one of the vending machines in the campus. Daichi inserted some coins and he bought two sodas, one of them for Noa. "Thank you", Noa said when he gave it to her. They opened it and took a swig.

"What about the exams?" Daichi broke the silence trying to push Noa to talk.

"I think I did well. Although they were harder than I expected. What about you?"

"Fine. I'm happy, but I'm worried about the Math test. I think I've made everything more complicated than necessary"

Noa smiled. She hadn't seen Hinata and Kageyama, but she hoped they were at least satisfied with their work. They had made such a huge effort to pass the exams.

"You don't have to tell me anything if you don't want to…"

"Oh… No, no", Noa cut Daichi off, "I do want to. I need to talk to someone about it and you inspire me that confidence"

Noa blushed and so did Daichi. He felt a bit uncomfortable. This situation was new for him but, on the other hand, he really wanted to know more things about Noa because she was going to become his stepsister. "Is something wrong?"

"No… Well… I mean… My parents have always had a lot of problems, especially since I was born", Daichi and Noa sat in a near curb, "My mother got pregnant when she was too young and I think that affected her so much. She had to give up her dream and she blamed me for that"

"I… I didn't know anything about that", Daichi seemed concerned.

"It's normal. My father doesn't talk so much about it", Noa made a pause, "When my parents got divorced, I went to the United States with my mum because that's what the judge ordered. But, however, she never took care of me. In fact, I've never seen her either like a mother because she never behaved as one. I found out about beach volleyball when I was ten and I used it as a way to escape from reality. I was pretty good and I miss it so much. I've always been an athletic person, but… A few months ago, my teammate and I won the beach volleyball youth championship for third year in a row. It was supposed to be a happy day, but my mum was there. She had never come to watch me play. Never. That's when I realized that something wasn't right", Noa looked at Daichi, "My father had taken my mum to court for not looking after me properly and they didn't tell me anything about it. I had to come back to Japan. I think I've never cried so much in my whole life. I felt humiliated. Everyone was looking at me… Getting back to Japan meant so many things: I was going to lose so many opportunities and move away from the people I love, so I promised I would never grab a ball. But then Hinata appears and he makes everything much more complicated. Why did he had to spike the ball that way last Friday? I seems like the universe is trying to tell me that I should play again. And then there's the female volleyball team which only has four players. It's a challenge, damn it!"

Daichi let her finish before giving his opinion, "And what's so wrong about it? Why don't you give it a try?"

"Because! I told you. I was humiliated! It was supposed to be a happy day", Noa sighed, "My father never liked I played beach volleyball. It doesn't fit his lifestyle or what he has in mind for me. And I'm sick of it. I'm sick of him. I'm not going to give him the satisfaction of humiliating me again. I'm sure that if I play again, he'll take the chance to tease me even more than he already does"

Daichi frowned, "I won't give an opinion about the relationship you have with your father because I respect him so much. He's a good man, but I took you for somebody more serious. That's a childish thought", Noa looked daggers at him, "Don't look at me like that. That's the truth", Daichi stood up, "If you don't play, you are making things worse for yourself, but you are so stubborn that you can't see things clearly. Go to that gym and tell them that you want to join the team. But don't blame Hinata", Daichi pointed at her, "What do you want to do? Do you want to recover the female volleyball team? Do it! Don't let anyone stop you from doing it. You can still play in the Spring High Preliminaries. You could go to Nationals! But if you don't do anything, if you just spy on them, you won't achieve anything"

Noa went silent and she stared at the ground. She felt overwhelmed. What should she do? Her head was telling her that she should focus on other things rather than volleyball, but her heart was insisting that she should give it a chance. Daichi's words weren't much different from Lizzie's, but the way Karasuno's captain had spoken had made the difference.

"I'm sorry", Daichi apologized when he saw Noa looked sad, "I've been too tough with you. We barely know each other and I've…"

"No", Daichi shut up. Noa also stood up, "Thanks, Daichi", she smiled, "May I… May I hug you?"

"W-What?" Daichi blinked surprised, but when he saw how fragile Noa looked he reconsidered his initial thoughts, "Ummm… Yeah. Sure"

Noa's eyes sparkled and she hugged him tightly. Daichi hugged her back and tapped her head fondly trying to reassure her. He didn't know it yet, but their talk had left a mark on her more than he thought.

"Thank you", Noa whispered. It felt warm, but it would be better if she stopped hugging him because probably he was feeling a bit uncomfortable.

"I'm glad you have told me all this", Daichi confessed, "I think I'm getting to know you better", he added rubbing the back of his neck, a bit embarrassed about what he had just said.

Noa giggled, "Then I'll have to call you onii-chan when your mother and my father get married. You are already acting like one", she joked.

"Really?" Daichi chuckled. He seemed so proud of himself, "Well I think I'm ready to be your older brother"

Noa blinked a couple of times. She was astonished, but she burst into laughter. She was kidding, so she didn't expect Daichi to take it literally. Yet, that made her truly happy. Although she was sure Daichi would be the kind of overprotective brother. But she didn't care at all.

"Hey! Daichi!" Noa and Daichi turned around. Sugawara was yelling at his captain in the distance, "We are going to be late to practice!"

"Oh… Yeah", Daichi nodded and faced Noa.

"Go. You're the captain. You have to set an example, so you can't be late", Noa said smiling, "And thanks again for the drink"

Daichi nodded and he ran towards Sugawara. However, before he went into the gym where the volleyball team practiced, he turned around to point out at the other gym where the female volleyball team was. Noa clicked her tongue, but she couldn't help but smile. She gave him the thumbs-up as she had understood what he meant.

Once she had lost sight of the boys, Noa sighed. Finally, she had made up her mind. She went to the gym the female volleyball team used to practice and she stood right in front of the door, watching them practice. She didn't know if the girls had noticed her presence, but, if they did, they were clearly ignoring her. Probably they still remembered the weirdo who watched them play for a few minutes and then sneaked away.

"Nice spike", Noa told as she was trying to catch their attention.

The four girls turned around to stare at her. The girl who had just spiked the ball had short dark blue hair and big blue eyes. She was identical to one of the other girls, so they were twins. You could only tell the difference between them thanks to their bangs.

"But I can tell you're not the setter", Noa followed looking at the shortest girl of the team. She had short brown hair and brown eyes.

The four girls looked strangely at her but then the latter answered, "You're right. I'm not the setter. Actually I'm the libero"

"May we help you?" asked another girl who had short light brown hair.

Noa kept quiet for a few seconds, "Ummm… I… I mean…" she should say it as fast as she could, "I'd like to join the volleyball team"

They seemed surprised, "Are you serious?"

Noa nodded. She felt more confident, "I know that if I join, we can't compete because the team hasn't got enough members, but I want you to know that I won't give up. The team will compete again. I'll promise"

One of the twins crossed her arms, "Wait a minute… Do you know anything about volleyball?"

"I've played beach volleyball since I was ten"

"What was your position?"

Noa thought carefully before answering, "I don't know", she giggled, "There aren't permanent positions in beach volleyball, so I don't know in which position I could do well"

"This is so funny!" the twins laughed, "And how are you going to recover the team, huh?"

It was clear they didn't believe in her. They weren't taking her seriously, so Noa frowned, "I'll make the third-years to come back"

She hadn't thought so much about it. In fact, she had answered the first thing that had crossed her mind and she was making the four girls laugh. Maybe more than necessary. Noa was being insulted. They didn't deserve an answer, so she turned around to leave the gym as soon as possible. It was a bad idea after all. She was going to forget about volleyball.

"Wait! Wait!" Noa stopped, "Okay. We get it. Don't make a scene. We'll give you a chance, but we need to watch you play, especially if you don't know what position will be the best for you", the girl who had short light brown hair took a step forward, "If you claimed you are going to recover our team, we want to see how you'll do it", she grinned. They still thought she was going to fail, but Noa was going to prove them that they were wrong, "I'm the current captain, Oka Chizuko, and I'm wing spiker. The twins' names are Harada Ayako, setter, and Harada Ayaka, middle blocker. And, finally, she's our libero, Shiraiwa Mayu"

Noa nodded, "Furihata Noa"

"Noa… That's a weird name"

"So… Furihata Noa", Harada Ayako crossed her arms, "Show us what you can do"

Noa clicked her tongue. She was wearing her uniform, so she wouldn't play volleyball properly, "You know… I have an idea…"

 **...**

"Are you going to tell me what you and Noa-san were talking about?"

Daichi chuckled, "She asked me for some advice"

Sugawara looked at him surprised, "I didn't know you get along so well"

"It's not a big deal", Daichi took a towel to wipe some sweat, "We've been talking all weekend"

"Hold on a second", Sugawara laughed, "Do you have Noa-san's number?"

Yachi lent an ear while she was getting the volleyballs out of the metal cart to give some of them to Hinata, Kageyama, Tanaka and Nishinoya. The team was going to work on their recieves before practicing their new attacks when they finished the warm up. Yachi knew Noa and Daichi got along well. Noa told her on Friday, but she didn't mention her that they had even exchanged their phone numbers.

Suddenly, Yachi felt her phone was vibrating. As a rule, she never took it while she was with the team, but she worried when she saw who was calling her. It was Noa. They hadn't spoken a lot after the exams, so she hoped everything was okay.

"Moshi moshi", Yachi answered the phone as she moved to one side of the court. The boys were so noisy. She didn't talk too much to her because Noa asked her a favor. She wanted to talk to Daichi instead. Yachi watched her phone curiously and, finally, she turned around to see how the boys practiced. "Da-Daichi-san", Yachi yelled, catching everyone's attention, "Noa-san wants to talk to you"

Everybody looked at Daichi. Tanaka and Nishinoya were open-mouthed, but their captain didn't pay them much attention and he got close to Yachi. He took the phone as if it was something normal.

"Is something wrong?" he asked.

Daichi was brutally straightforward to Noa, so everyone waited patiently until they finished talking. Yachi was the most interested in what Noa was telling Daichi. She had noticed that, as soon as they had met, Daichi and Noa seemed to have got along well, but she felt that she had missed something. They had such a friendly relationship.

"Thank you", Daichi told Yachi when he hung up the phone. She looked at him puzzled. What was happening between those two?

"Daichi-san, is Noa-san okay?" Hinata asked.

Daichi grinned as he put his hands on his hips, "She asked me a favor", he made a pause before revealing the terms of their talk, "She'll play a match with us"

Hinata's eyes sparkled, "Whaaaoooo! Really!? I'm gonna call her and tell her that…!"

"Stay calm, Hinata", Sugawara smiled gently, "Could you explain it better?" he asked Daichi.

"Apparently, she wants to join the female volleyball team. She played beach volleyball when she lived in the United States, so she can't choose a position and the girls want to watch her play first. That's why she asked me if she could play a practice match with us"

"And what are we going to do exactly?" Ennoshita asked.

"I think we could split up in two teams and she'll be part of one of them"

"That's so cool!" Hinata, Nishinoya and Tanaka yelled full of excitement.

Kageyama grinned, "Fine. Let's see if she's worth it…"

Daichi sighed and looked daggers at them, "Why the hell aren't you working on your recieves!? Come on! Go! Now!"

"Sir, yes, sir!"

Kiyoko giggled as she looked at Yachi, "This is getting funnier"

 **...**

From: Hinata Shouyou

To: Furihata Noa

 _Noa-san! We already know about the big news! Daichi told us during practice!_  
 _Get ready! I promise you I'll do my best!_

* * *

 **~See you next time!**


	8. Chance ball

**A/N: OMG... This chapter is the longest I've written. It's been tough, but it's finally here. Anyway, I hope everyone has seen the new OVA. I've changed today the end of this chapter when I saw it yesterday. Aww... My babys were sooo perfect in the OVA. I love them so much.  
Thank you for following and reading this story. I appreciate all feedback. And of course thanks to guest and hellyahd7 for their reviews. I'm so glad you love the drama and action. And there is more to come! I haven't written next chapter yet, but just wait :)**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Haikyuu or its characters**

* * *

 **CHAPTER SEVEN  
** Chance ball **  
**

Noa suspected something was wrong. She had spent almost all day alone after the teachers had told them their results in the exams. She even got the impression that Yachi knew something she didn't. Definitely, her friend was hiding something and Noa felt that it wasn't especially good news.

Hinata and Kageyama didn't appear during lunch as they usually did.

But she wasn't going to allow them to get what they wanted. If something had happened, she wanted to know from them. Was she really so terrifying? She wasn't going to get mad at the prospect of they getting bad grades. She hadn't managed to get more than 70 percent neither in Japanese nor Modern Literature. She wasn't proud about it, but she wasn't going to torment herself for that. She knew she had to improve and that's what she would do. Yet, she wanted to know what was happening. It was obvious that Hinata and Kageyama had been avoiding her all day, but they couldn't escape from her.

When the bell rang, she picked her things up and she took her backpack and her sport bag. During that afternoon, after practice, she was going to play a match with the male volleyball team with the aim of showing the girls of the female volleyball team what she was able to do. She had only needed to make a call and Daichi had agreed to help her.

Noa walked through the campus. When she arrived to the girls' locker room where she put her things away, she changed into a pair of sport leggings, a blue t-shirt and her old sneakers. She put her kneepads and tied up her long black hair in a ponytail. Then, she ran towards the male locker room. She opened the door without knocking as she was willing to talk to Hinata and Kageyama before the practice started. She was almost sure that they had got bad results in their exams and her doubts were confirmed when she wide-opened the door and spotted them kneeling in a corner of the locker room, clearly ashamed.

"This is how awesome…"

"…Your senpais are!" Nishinoya finished Tanaka's statement.

"Can someone explain me what the hell is going on with those two?" Noa asked, being unaware of the fact that Tanaka was only wearing his underwear.

"Furihata-san!" Yamaguchi was the first one and almost only one who noticed her presence as Tanaka and Nishinoya were catching everyone's attention. Only Asahi, who was changing in front of the door, saw Noa too. Instinctively, the third-year boy tried to cover his body using his backpack so as to Noa couldn't see anything inappropriate, except for the fact the he was already wearing his tracksuit.

"You both barely got over forty points!" Sugawara had his hands on his hips, "Wait, Hinata…" the setter took a quick look at Hinata's exam while Tsukishima, who was standing beside him, held it. "You failed English? But you were so confident!"

Noa felt a cold shiver running down her spine. Now, she could understand why they were avoiding her.

"Noa helped you", Daichi mentioned while he left his uniform in one of the shelves.

"Apparently, he figured out right before time was up that he had filled in all his answers off by one", Tsukishima said. When Noa heard him, she clenched her fists trying to stay calm. It was ridiculous. That four-eyes had to be kidding…

"Seriously?" Asahi turned around. "Sadly, the English teacher, Ono-sensei, won't let things like that slide"

Yamaguchi approached to Tsukishima to have a look too. His face paled and he turned around to look at Noa with a horrified expression, "They're right… They're right!"

"And Kagayema failed Modern Literature", Daichi added.

"Apparently, there were a lot of reading comprehension questions this time around. But he concentrated on memorization when he studied", Ennoshita followed.

"Wow!" Asahi, who had joined Yamaguchi and Sugawara and was standing behind Tsukishima, seemed really surprised. "He got a perfect score on kanji"

"Hinata…" the orange haired shivered when he heard Noa's threatening tone behind him, "I'm going to kill you!"

If only Yamaguchi and Asahi had noticed Noa's presence, when she yelled at Hinata, everyone knew she was in the locker room. The boys could only watch how Noa jumped towards Hinata, but Yamaguchi was on time to stop her or, at least, he tried to. She was smaller than him, but the freckled boy was having trouble in holding her back.

Noa's face went red. She had her fists clenched and she even tried to punch Hinata in the face. The orange haired screamed when he saw Noa's diabolic look, but before she could hit him, Yamaguchi stopped her. "Let me go!" Noa demanded.

"Please, calm down, Furihata-san!" Yamaguchi talked to her in a gentle way. He was trying to bring Noa to her senses, but without much success. He was holding her back as he could as he wasn't able to understand how a girl as tiny as her could be so strong.

"It isn't a big deal", Sugawara tried to calm her down, but the fact that Tsukishima was laughing wasn't helping at all, "Well, don't be too discouraged. This won't be the only time we have away games", the setter tried to cheer up Hinata and Kageyama.

"How are we going to go to Tokyo?" Kageyama asked not listening to his senpai. "Shall we run?"

"Nah… we need bikes", Hinata answered.

The two boys showed so much determination. They were willing to do anything they could to go to Tokyo.

"They're totally planning on going!" Sugawara couldn't believe what they were saying.

"Not a bit of it!" Noa pointed at Hinata and Kageyama. She was finally calmed, so Yamaguchi released her, "You have to pass those exams. It's important for you and your future. You'll have to do the supplementary exams!"

"Huh!?" Kageyama grimaced.

"You've just heard me. I swear you'll pass those exams. Kageyama, I won't be able to help you to study Modern Literature because I've barely got sixty points, but you, Hinata, you'll pass the English exam"

Tanaka smirked, "You're a tough girl"

Noa looked at the shaved head boy and crossed her arms. She didn't believe she was though, but she had promised that they were going to pass the exams and she was willing to fulfill that promise.

"Put some pants on!" Daichi yelled at Tanaka when he realized that the second-year was wearing only his underwear. Tanaka saluted his captain and Nishinoya and he vanished as soon as possible.

"And you! Don't laugh about it!" Noa turned around to face Tsukishima. She had noticed that he was enjoying the whole situation so much. "What the hell is so funny?"

"It's simple. They're a pair of idiots", he answered frankly.

Noa frowned, "They aren't idiots, although I won't excuse Hinata's slip", she glanced at Hinata who blushed. "Don't made fun of them when you didn't want to help them at all"

Tsukishima raised an eyebrow, "I did help them"

"Oh, really? So that's why they asked Yachi and I for some help?"

"That's enough", Daichi intervened as he stood up between Noa and Tsukishima.

Tsukishima was extremely taller than Noa, but it didn't stop her from telling him what she thought. She didn't like Tsukishima's behavior since the first time she saw him and a lot less how he treated Hinata and Kageyama. Noa had spent enough time with them to not let anybody say those things about them. In addition, they were teammates. Tsukishima owed them some respect.

"And you told me to ask him for some help in Japanese and Modern Literature…", Noa looked at Hinata who shrugged. "No way"

"I wasn't going to help you either", Tsukishima crossed his arms.

Noa clicked her tongue while she walked toward the door, "I have to go now. I have practice. See you then?"

"Sure", Daichi smiled. Noa smiled back at him and she left the locker room.

 **…**

Noa wiped the sweat from her forehead with a towel and she sighed. The practice hadn't been so hard, but she had spent so much time without doing some exercise. She stretched her muscles for a while and then she left the gym. The rest of the team were already waiting for her outside the gym and they walked in silence towards the biggest gym, where the boys practiced.

Her first practice in the volleyball team, although she wasn't an official member yet, wasn't as expected. Noa felt that she was putting a lot of effort into everything she was doing and her attitude seemed to amuse her teammates, who were taking her as a joke. Noa preferred to ignore them because she thought they had already given up a long time ago, but she wasn't going to do that. She had promised they would compete again. But, before that, she had to show them that she had enough talent to be taken seriously.

The boys were already waiting for them. Everything was set up for the match. Coach Ukai and Takeda-sensei had already left the gym and they let the team stay a bit longer, like they usually did after practice.

"Noa-san!" Hinata ran towards her. She smiled feeling as excited as him, "Let's have a good match!"

"Huh… He's been talking about it all day", Sugawara scratched his head.

"So what are we going to do exactly?" Ennoshita asked, unaware of all the madness around him because of the presence of so many girls in the gym.

"Okay", Kinoshita stepped forward, "I think Daichi must be one of the captains. The other one could be Hinata", Hinata's eyes sparkled, "He's pretty excited about this match, so I think he should be captain", everyone agreed. "You'll will pick up one person in turns. I'll be the referee and Kiyoko-san and Yachi-san will change the scoreboard"

"Are you sure?" Ennoshita frowned. If he was the referee, Kinoshita wouldn't play a single minute.

"Yeah. I don't mind", the boy smiled. "Daichi, you're Karasuno's captain, so you'll start. Choose one person"

Daichi chuckled and he pointed at Noa with his forefinger, "Noa, you're on my team"

"What!? How fast! That's so unfair! I wanted to play with Noa-san", Hinata moaned.

"Well, you'll play against her then", Daichi responded as he put his hands on his hips.

"It's your turn, Hinata", Kinoshita followed.

The orange haired boy thought for a few seconds, "Kageyama"

Daichi and Hinata kept saying names until everyone was on a team and, as soon as they finished, Kinoshita stood between the two groups.

"Okay. Daichi-san's team includes Suga-san, Noa-san, Narita, Tanaka and Yamaguchi. Hinata's team includes Asahi-san, Noya-san, Ennoshita, Kageyama and Tsukishima", everyone nodded. "Line-up and we'll start the match"

Noa didn't leave Daichi's side for a second, not until the match started. She was truly nervous. She hadn't felt like that for ages especially when it came to volleyball. She had played matches with a huge audience, but the pressure she felt due to the girls of the female volleyball team was killing her.

Daichi gathered them before starting. His team made a circle around the captain. "They are a good team, but so are we. Let's have fun!" the boys nodded, but Noa didn't move. She felt she could throw up at any time. "Do what you know you can do, okay?" Daichi tapped her back trying to comfort her and she nodded.

When Kinoshita blew the whistle and the ball was served, Noa felt that all her fears, little by little, were gone. Volleyball was what she truly liked, but, soon, she realized that the boys shouldn't be taken lightly. She was small and lacked strength, but she was intelligent and experienced enough to know that she had to find a way to score some points if she wanted to impress her teammates.

She ran into a wall every time she tried to spike the ball. Their defense was much taller. That's why she promised to herself that wasn't going to fail a third time. Hinata's team was on the lead, but it wasn't important. She was going to shine. That was for sure. Sugawara was a great setter. Maybe not as good as Kageyama, but the gray haired boy knew what his teammates needed and he made sure that everyone was comfortable on the court.

"They're much taller than me", Noa looked upset at Kageyama, Tsukishima and Asahi. They blocked her spike once again.

"Don't worry", Sugawara smiled at her. "You'll find a way to beat them. You're doing it well. Just tell me what I can do to improve my set ups and we'll make it"

Noa nodded. They were relying on Tanaka's spikes so much and that's why they were losing the first set.

It was Yamaguchi's turn. He had to serve. The freckled boy tossed the ball with precision. It didn't spin or rotate and therefore moved in an erratic path before touching the floor. Nishinoya, however, managed to reach the ball. Yamaguchi clicked his tongue. He should improve his floater, but there wasn't enough time to regret as Daichi warned them. "Chance ball!"

And there it was. Hinata and Kageyama's quick attack. Noa tried to stop it, but it was impossible. When she wanted to reach the ball, it had already hit the floor and it was one more point for Hinata's team. Noa frowned. Hinata's team served now, but she swore that she wasn't only be able to score, but to stop that damn quick attack.

Ennoshita was the one who served this time. Daichi received it easily and Noa started to run forward. She could feel Sugawara's glance on her. The setter set up the ball for her perfectly, but her eyes opened wide when she saw Tsukishima and Kageyama's hands blocking her spike. They were extremely tall and she was sure that, once again, she couldn't beat them.

Noa smirked and Tsukishima, like he could read her mind, opened his mouth to warn Kageyama, but it was already too late. Noa had already spiked the ball hardly. It hit Kageyama's hand and returned to Noa's side of the court doing a perfect curve in the air. The ball landed in Sugawara's hands who set up the ball for Tanaka who scored.

Noa laughed when she felt Tanaka's arm around her shoulders. "Don't make that face, Tsukishima". The blond boy grimaced, clearly disgusted by Tanaka and Noa's childish behavior.

"Next time you'll have to be faster", Noa added. She and Tanaka stuck their tongues out, so Tsukishima clicked his tongue and turned around.

They were serving now, but that wasn't enough and Hinata's team won the first set easily. Noa, however, wasn't willing to let them win so easily the second one.

Although beach volleyball and indoor volleyball were similar, Noa made so many faults. She made rotation errors or she didn't know that in indoor volleyball isn't allowed the ball to come to rest for a small period of time during an overhand pass. Her faults became points for the other team, but Daichi and her teammates kept encouraging her, although she couldn't help but feel useless.

However, she had spent a lot of time watching Hinata and Kageyama's moves. People could think that she wasn't doing anything at all to stop them, but it wasn't true. She was analyzing them. That's why, when they did the quick attack again, Noa felt the adrenalin running through her veins. She waited, just for a second, and then she jumped and stretched out her arms receiving the ball. The boys opened their mouths, surprised by her reflexes and even Noa could hear some 'wow' escaping their mouths.

"Chance ball!" Daichi shouted suddenly, so everyone moved.

Sugawara set up the ball for Yamaguchi who spiked the ball, but he was blocked by Hinata's arm who managed to jump higher than Yamaguchi. The ball returned to their side of the court and, before it could touch de floor, Narita reached it. Noa frowned and she ran from one side to the court to the other waiting for Sugawara to set up the ball. And he did it. The gray haired boy set up the ball perfectly. The defense, whose leader was Tsukishima, was blocking her quickly. But she finally had a plan. As hard as she could, Noa spiked the ball, so it was directed across the net at an angle from one side to the court to the other. It hit the floor with a thud and everyone went silent until Kinoshita blew the whistle. The ball was in.

"Get that!" Tanaka yelled at the teammates who were on the other side of the net.

"That was amazing", Sagawara tapped Noa's back, who blushed.

"That was awesome, Noa-san!" Nishinoya yelled, his eyes sparkling full of excitement.

"It's nothing", Noa shrugged, "I'm just small and I have my own ways to score some points too"

"It was just a cross-court shot", Tsukishima mumbled.

"What!? It was awesome anyway, Tsukishima!" Hinata argued back. The blond boy rolled his eyes and ignored the orange-haired boy.

"First of all, you have stopped Hinata and Kageyama's quick attack and now this", Daichi was impressed, "I must admit I didn't expect something like this"

Noa smiled back at Daichi while she changed her position. She had to serve. Noa closed her eyes and sighed trying to concentrate. She was going to do her jump serve, so she tried to forget every compliment the boys had been telling her. That was nothing and she wasn't special. Then, she opened her eyes and looked at the ceiling. She tossed the ball, she took an approach and she hit it with her right hand as hard as she could. She was still in the air when she smiled. The timing was perfect. The ball crossed the court and touched the floor. Nobody moved. Kinoshita blew the whistle. It was other point and, while her team was celebrating it, the other team looked puzzled. How was it possible that a girl as small and thin as Noa could spike the ball so hard?

"You were saving the best part for the end of the match!" Tanaka shouted too excited, grabbing Noa by the arm.

"Where did you learn to do that, Furihata-san?"

"Your serve is truly amazing", Sugawara seemed surprised as well. "It looks like Oikawa's jump serve"

"Oikawa?" Noa asked.

"He's Aobajosai High team captain and setter. He has such a powerful serve. We played against them a few months ago. Actually, we lost against them in the InterHigh and we'll probably have to face them again if we want to be in the Nationals", Daichi explained to her.

"Oh", that's the only thing Noa could answer. "Well… But my jump serve has so many disadvantages"

Actually, Noa couldn't control her strength. Even if that jump serve was perfect, that didn't mean that it would be perfect again. And, just like she imagined, her second jump serve was so powerful that it flew over the net and hit the wall behind Hinata's team. When her teammates turned their heads, she couldn't tell if they were surprised or scared. She scratched her head and she could only mutter that she was sorry.

Finally, Daichi's team lost the match, although the scoring difference in the second set wasn't as huge as in the first one. Noa came to the conclusion that she needed to improve a lot because, although she had her own ways to be victorious in unfavorable situations, the receives and strength control kept being her weak point.

"Thank you so much!" Noa bowed to the boys feeling so grateful. They had given her the opportunity to play with them despite the fact that she had made so many mistakes during the match.

"Well, you know you can always count on your senpais!" Tanaka said grinning.

"Besides, what the hell was that smirk when Tsukishima and Kageyama jumped to block your spike, huh?" Nishinoya approached her looking intimidating despite of his height.

Noa raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms, "Do you have any problem with that?"

They faced looking daggers at each other. Yamaguchi tried to stop them but, as soon as he did it, Nishinoya and Noa burst into laughter.

"It was a joke, Yamaguchi!" the libero tapped his kouhai's back. The freckled boy looked at his teammates who started to laugh as well. "Someone had to teach Tsukishima a lesson", Nishinoya added while he hit the blond boy in the ribs.

Noa exchanged glances with Yachi and they started to laugh. Noa approached to her friend who handed her a bottle of water. "Thanks"

"You were fantastic, Noa-san"

Noa shrugged, "Believe me. I've seen better days. Moreover, most of the time I've been committing faults", she sighed. "This is so embarrassing. They must be thinking I'm terrible at playing volleyball"

"I don't think so. The boys are impressed and Kiyoko told me that you are fantastic. They wouldn't say that if they didn't mean it. You only need more practice", Yachi picked up the bottle, "You are good at it"

Noa smiled. "Let me help you", Noa picked up a pair of volleyballs and she put them in one of the metal cart.

"You don't have to. You should talk to the girls first". Perfect. She was so focus on the match that she had forgot about its real purpose. Noa looked for them in the gym, but they seemed to have left. "I think they're waiting for you outside the gym", Yachi said.

Noa nodded. Before getting out of the gym, Yachi gave her the thumbs-up and so did Noa. She had to hear the female volleyball team verdict and she hoped it was good.

Just like Yachi told her, the four members of the female volleyball team were waiting for her outside the gym. Noa approached them. She would have liked to know what they were thinking, but her faces were illegible, so she couldn't decide if they were going to tell her something good or bad.

"And so?" Noa finally asked when she got closer.

"You didn't do badly, but I've seen other people who play better than you", Harada Ayako, the setter, said.

"And who knows the rules as well", her twin sister, Ayaka, followed.

Noa frowned. They were right, but they sounded too harsh. "I know. I'm still getting used to playing indoor volley ball"

Oka Chizuko, the captain, nodded. "We have no doubt that you'll get used to it soon. You've shown us that you're really skillful. We've been talking and we think you'd be a good libero"

"But we already have one", Ayako added.

"That's right. We think you'd be a great wing spiker instead, although you are small. Actually, the team needs taller people, but you do well in the air. That cross-court shot was truly amazing", Chizuko handed her a paper. Noa took it and read it. It was the application form. "Are you sure about this?"

Noa's eyes sparkled, "Of course!" She smiled at the four girls who sighed. "By the way, who should I give this? Who is the teacher?"

The four girls looked at each other and Noa frowned. She had a bad feeling about it.

 **…**

Tanaka burst into laughter while Sugawara, Daichi and Asahi stared at Noa. She was surrounded by a dark aura while she walked with them towards coach Ukai's family store.

"Try to cheer up a little bit", Sugawara finally said.

"You don't understand it", Noa looked at him desperately, "She hates me!"

The gray haired boy sighed. Fujibashi Sadako was the teacher in charge of the female volleyball team. Noa should talk to her and give her the application form to join the team. But, since the captain Oka Chizuko had pronounced her Math teacher's name, Noa was sure she wouldn't let her join in or she would tell her that she will fail.

That morning, Noa had a small argument with her when she gave them the results of the exams. Noa had done well, even better than expected, but her grades in Japanese and Modern Literature were below the class average. Although the high school had decided not to change her to another class, Fujibashi-sensei had warned her. She wouldn't have a second chance.

"Don't worry", Tanaka put his arm around Noa's shoulders, ignoring Daichi's glances who had frowned due to the fact that the second-year was taking the liberty of being too familiar with the girl. "Your senpai is here to cheer you up, Noa-san. I'll buy you a meat bun"

Noa seemed relieved and smiled, "Are you serious?"

Tanaka chuckled, "Of course! I've already told you. I'm your senpai. You can count on me!"

"Hey! I'm your senpai too!" Nishinoya moaned. The libero had been talking all the time to Hinata and Kageyama, but when he heard that Tanaka was willing to buy Noa a meat bun, he wanted to take part. "I'll buy you one too, Noa-san!"

Noa giggled nervously and she turned her head to look at Daichi and Sugawara imploring them as she wasn't used to dealing with boys like Tanaka and Nishinoya. Sugawara laughed, but Daichi frowned and put his hands on his hips. "Let her alone!"

"She needs to cheer up!" Tanaka remarked. "Fujibashi-sensei is such an old hag"

Daichi looked daggers at him and, finally, Tanaka set Noa free. "Noa will join the team"

"You sound too sure about it", Noa crossed her arms.

"You told me you'll join in, didn't you? So that's what you'll do"

"And what are you going to do next, Noa-san?" Hinata asked. "The team will have only five members. You can't compete"

"Well… I've been thinking and I'll talk the third-years into getting back to the team"

Asahi grimaced, "Are you sure? They left the team after losing their first match in the preliminaries of the Interhigh. It won't be easy. I don't think they'll want to be back"

"I know", Noa grinned. "But I have Daichi"

Everyone turned around to look at Daichi who shook his head, "Why me?"

"It's easy. I know you know them. Chizuko told me, so I need you to introduce us. I'll take care of the rest"

Daichi sighed, "Okay. But I won't take part in anything you have planned"

"Great! Tomorrow, during lunch time, I'll give Fujibashi-sensei the application form. You could introduce us later". Noa winked. "I'll owe you one!"

Daichi rolled his eyes and he went into coach Ukai's family store. Noa had walked pass it several times, but she had never bought anything there. It was smaller than she thought at first. She had never been there, so she let the boys advised her. Normally, she would have been unnoticed for boys like Tanaka and Nishinoya, especially because they were all the time trying to catch Kiyoko's attention. But Kiyoko wasn't around, so they were following Noa all the time. They were arguing about who should buy her a meat bun, so, while that happened, Noa bought one in order to make them stop fighting for nothing. But, finally, Tanaka and Nishinoya reach an agreement and each of them bought her a meat bun. Then she had three of them to eat.

"I have to go", Tanaka tapped her shoulder.

"Are you already leaving?" Nishinoya raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah… I have something to do. I'll see you tomorrow"

Nishinoya looked at Noa and she shrugged. When they joined the rest of the group, they had already settled a table and chairs to help Kageyama and Hinata with their grades.

"You two…" Ennoshita was holding their exams. "How come your scores are even lower that the scores you get in the actual test?"

"After doing the test, all the things I remembered have gone somewhere…" Kageyama mumbled.

"I got it!" Yachi caught their attention. "Since I'm in the advanced class it could be that I'm destined to help Hinata and Kageyama to get eighty points!"

"Hold on a second. Eighty points!?" Noa asked. She must have missed something.

"Long story. I'll explain later, Noa-san", Yamaguchi whispered in her hear.

"Do you think you'll be able to do it? These too are real idiots", Tsukishima chuckled, so Noa frowned.

"What did you just say!?" Kageyama and Hinata were just as pissed off as Noa. _What a jerk_ , she thought.

"I also want Hinata and Kageyama to go to the volleyball trip. So I'll do my best!" Yachi smiled.

"I'll also do whatever I can to help as well", Yamaguchi followed.

"Thank you, Yamaguchi!" Hinata's eyes sparkled.

"Hey! I can't just let my under classmates have all the credit!" Nishinoya stepped forward. "Right, Chikara!?"

Ennoshita raised an eyebrow. but he didn't answer the libero. He looked at Daichi, Sugawara and Asahi. "I presume that the third years have to study for their exams. So leave their studies for us, the first and second years"

Daichi nodded, "Okay, then"

"It'll be though", Sugawara sighed.

"I probably won't sit on the university entrance exam, but I don't think I have the confidence to teach either", Asahi sweat dropped.

"Well… I'm heading out first", Tsukishima opened the door. "Don't look at me like that", he added when he felt Kageyama and Hinata's eyes on him. "I'm not going to help. I only promised to help until the test". He smirked, "Well, just try as hard as you can"

And then he closed the door.

"What a moron", Noa crossed her arms.

"Oh yeah… Where is Tanaka?" Ennoshita asked as soon as he realized the second-year wasn't around.

"He told us he had something to do, so he went to home earlier", Nishonoya asked pointing at Noa who nodded.

"Anyway… I have to go too", Noa confessed. "It's getting late. I'll help you to study English, Hinata, I promise. I'll make it up to you tomorrow"

"Don't worry, Noa-san", he smiled brightly.

She nodded as she finished chewing the second meat bun. They were delicious, but she had already had enough. "Yamaguchi", the freckled boy looked at her when she called him out, "Do you want this meat bun?"

Yamaguchi blushed, but he nodded and took it carefully, his hands shaking. Noa smiled. He was too adorable and she really wanted to hug him, but that would be inappropriate, so she giggled instead.

"We should go home", Daichi remarked. "See you tomorrow"

Daichi opened the door and he left the store followed by Sugawara, Asahi and Noa.

"Thank you again for what you've done today", Noa's cheeks went red.

"You don't have to, Noa-san", Sugawara smiled, "It's been a pleasure"

"Will you be fine? You have to go home alone", Asahi asked, so her cheeks blush went darker.

"There's no problem", Daichi tapped her back. "I'll walk with her. I'll see you tomorrow"

Daichi grabbed her by the arm, so Noa started moving. She turned her head and waved at Sugawara and Asahi who looked puzzled by the captain's behavior.

"You haven't told them?" Noa asked him.

"Not yet", Daichi chuckled. "You know; I think it's weird. You'll become my stepsister in a few weeks"

"I know… I haven't told Yachi, Hinata or Yamaguchi either. I mean… It's not a secret, but it's weird. It's not a topic you can easily bring up"

Daichi nodded. "By the way, my mother texted me. She'll be working till late and she told me to have dinner with you. Then, your father will give me a lift home"

"That's so cool"

"Ahh… I'm so hungry"

"If I had known, I would have given you the meat bun"

"Don't worry", Daichi smiled. "You seemed to get along well with Yamaguchi"

"Yes", Noa blushed lightly. "He waits for me every morning in front of my house since I met you all, so we can walk together to high school. I thought it would be nice if I gave it to him. Besides, he stopped me from killing Hinata", Noa sighed. "I can't believe he's so absent-minded"

Daichi shook his head 'no'. He couldn't help but agree with her. He stared forward and he caught a glimpse of Tsukishima who was walking a few meters away from them. "Hey! Tsukishima!" he called out, but, as always, Tsukishima had his headphones on. "Tsukishima!"

"I don't think he'll hear you…"

Daichi ran towards him and tapped him in the shoulder. Tsukishima turned around. "Daichi-san…"

"I called you out, but you didn't hear me"

"Sorry"

"Are you going home?"

As soon as Noa caught up with them, Tsukishima looked at her up and down and then answered Daichi simply, "Yes". And he kept walking.

Daichi glanced at Noa who rolled her eyes and he sighed. He didn't know exactly what was going on between those two, but he preferred not to know. "Do you think Kageyama and Hinata will pass the supplementary exams?" He turned his head to talk to Noa.

"Sure! In the end, they almost achieve their goal. They'll do it"

"Are you going to help Hinata again?"

Noa sighed, "It took me up some time to study for my exams, but I guess I'll help him. It's the least I can do"

"Seriously? Did you do that badly in the exams?"

"Not exactly. I'm just having trouble with Japanese and Modern Literature"

Daichi grinned, "That's why Hinata told you earlier that you should ask Tsukishima for some help"

Noa rolled her eyes, "I'm not willing to ask that idiot for some help". She heard how Tsukishima clicked his tongue, but she didn't care at all. She did it on purpose. "I've heard you, Tsukishima. I don't know what kind of problem you have, but you are pretty unpleasant"

Tsukishima didn't even bother to turn around to answer her, "I could say exactly the same. You are too loud"

"What!?" Noa cleared her throat. Okay. Maybe she had been too loud at that moment. "I'm not loud", she followed coolly.

"Whatever"

She couldn't see his face, but she was sure that Tsukisima was smirking. She clenched her fists and stopped in front of her house door and so did Daichi who looked at them concerned.

"Good night, Tsukishima", she said before heading to the door. Tsukishima kept walking and he didn't even bother to said goodbye to them.

Noa sighed before opening the door. Only Tsukishima's presence made her feel uncomfortable, but Daichi's concerned look made her also think about her relationship with him. Maybe she should try to know Tsukishima better. But she was willing to make such an effort only for Yamaguchi. She liked the freckled boy and their walks to high school were uncomfortable for him due to the bad mood in which Tsukishima and Noa were every time they walked together. On the other hand, she could feel Daichi's reproving stare. She respected Karasuno's captain, so she understood as soon as she cought a glimpse of his glance that she should fix her problems with Tsukishima.

When they got in the house, Noa's father were already waiting for them in the living room. Furihata Hayate seemed impatient because her daughter was arriving home too late, so she raised her hands, showing him an apology, but her father's bad mood was already gone when he noticed Daichi's presence behind her.

She left her backpack and her sports bag in the hall and she started making dinner. His father was calmed down by that, so he sat in the sofa to read the newspaper. He asked Daichi to sit next to him, but the third-year refused the offer politely as he headed to the kitchen where he helped Noa.

Noa sighed. She shpuld tell her father that she had join the girls' volleyball team. She looked briefly at her sports bag and clicked her tongue. Nah… She was going to wait.

* * *

 **~See you soon!**


	9. Failure

**A/N: Oh God... This chapter is long. Anyway, as you can imagine due to chapter 7, this story is going to be full of OCs. We don't know many things about the girls' volleyball club, so, except from Michimiya Yui, every member of the club will be an OC. Right now, Noa isn't succeeding in her plans, but she'll get a good ally who is going to help her more than she thinks. I hope you all have someone in mind. Let's see if you're right ;)  
Thanks for the reviews, follows and favorites. They always make my day. I wasn't expecting something like this, so thank you so much! I have so many ideas for this story! Oh! And I've titled the chapters. I thought the fanfic lacked something...**

 **I do not own Haikyuu or its characters**

* * *

 **CHAPTER EIGHT**  
Failure

"Please", Noa held the paper as she expected her teacher to accept it. Her imploring eyes were on Fujibashi Sadako who was sitting on a chair.

The woman crossed her arms. "Don't you think this is inappropriate, Furihata-san? Your grades in Japanese and Modern Literature are below the class average, but, instead of studying, you are telling me you want to lose your time playing volleyball". Noa's lips formed a thin line. She was right, but she couldn't spend most of her life studying. It wouldn't be healthy for her. She needed a break. "Besides, the female volleyball team is over. It's only a matter of time before it disappears"

Noa furrowed her brow. Yes, it was true, they wouldn't have enough members to compete, but Noa thought it was unfair that nobody believed in them. How could she expect her teammates to take her seriously if their teacher was counting down the days to cancel the female volleyball team? She wasn't going to let that happen. "We'll go to the Nationals", Noa clenched her fists.

Her teacher, who was already doing other stuff rather than paying her attention, looked up to stare at her with an amused expression on her face. "Do you really think so? And what are you going to do?

"I'm sure the third-years will come back"

Fujibashi-sensei's face darkened, "What are you suggesting, Furihata-san? Are you trying to challenge me? I'm your teacher. In the United States the relationship between teacher and student might be different, but here, in Japan, I'm not going to allow you this behavior". Noa opened her mouth to talk back. She wasn't playing any game, let alone challenging her teacher. She just wanted some help. "Don't even think about bothering the third-years. They gave up wisely after losing in the preliminaries of the Interhigh. They knew when they had to surrender. Learn something from your senpais"

Noa looked her application form full of frustration. She felt a lump in her throat, but she didn't move. Fujibashi-sensei only had to take that paper. She wasn't asking her any other responsibility.

"Volleyball it's the only thing I'm good at", Noa mumbled.

"That's not true. No matter how much I hate admitting that your Western brain has a gift for Mathematics, you are good at it. You should make use of it and stop thinking about a dull sport without any future"

"I don't play volleyball because I want to be a professional. That would be stupid. It's just a hobby"

"Then, if it's a hobby, why is it so important?"

"Because I have to belong to something!" Noa went silent for a few seconds. "I mean… In Japan it's important to be part of a club. It is well considered in certain universities"

Her teacher raised an eyebrow, "Are you always so annoying". Noa looked surprised at her teacher, but she shrugged. "Give me that application form and get out of here". Noa's eyes sparkled. "But I warn you, Furihata-san, I don't want to know anything about the club. If I receive just one complain, it will be over. Have your heard me?" Noa nodded eagerly. "And if you lower just one point in your exams, you know what will happen". Fujibashi-sensei turned around and kept working. "Leave now"

Noa left the staffroom almost running. On the other side of the corridor, the four second-years of the female volleyball team were waiting patiently.

"And so?" Noa turned her head to look at her left. Daichi was standing a few meters away from her, staring at her smiling. "Did she take the application form?"

"Yes!" Noa answered as her cheeks turned red.

Finally, she had managed to achieve one of her goals. From now on she had to do a lot of things. She had spent all night thinking about it and she had barely slept. That morning, Yamaguchi had asked her why she had such a terrible look. Well, actually, he had remarked that she seemed tired. The freckled boy was too thoughtful and polite to not to tell her that, that morning, she looked like a zombie. But the point is that Noa had been thinking about the female volleyball team and she came to the conclusion that, just like the boys, the girls needed a coach too. And she thought she might know the right person.

Noa had spent most of the night doing some research on the Internet. She remembered one of her mother's friends and, although she had no idea what she was doing at that moment, Noa found out some interesting stuff about her, like where she worked. She was thinking about visiting her after practice and talked to her about the volleyball team. She had to accept the offer. She was going to accept it.

"Good. Now we can all move forward", Harada Ayako said.

"Welcome to the girls' volleyball team", Shiraiwa Mayu, the libero, smiled.

"I'm truly impressed", Harada Ayaka remarked. "You've managed to persuade Fujibashi-sensei. We thought she was going to cancel the team sooner or later"

"Well…" Noa rubbed her neck. "Actually, I think she has accepted the application form just because I can be pretty stubborn sometimes". The girls of the female volley team sweat dropped. "But that's not important!" Noa raised her fist. "The important thing is I'm on the team! Now it's your turn, Daichi", she pointed at the third-year.

The four girls looked at Daichi curiously, so he giggled nervously, "I'm just going to introduce you to Michimiya Yui-san"

"That would be enough", Noa jumped forward and took his arm. Daichi sighed. At that moment, Noa looked like Hinata so much. She was overexcited.

"We are leaving now", Oka Chizuko, the captain, said. "We'll see you after classes, Noa-san. Don't forget we have practice"

Noa nodded and waved back at them. Then, she pushed slightly Daichi so he started to walk towards the third-years area. He laughed. She was uncontrollable, but he couldn't say no when he saw her eyes sparkling like that.

"Do you think they'll say yes?" Noa asked, her eyes full of excitement. Daichi shrugged. He didn't want to discourage her, but he was sure that the third-years girls would say 'no'. He knew them for a long time and he knew how difficult it had been for them to get over their defeat. Moreover, Daichi believed they wasn't as crazy about volleyball as before, probably because nobody seemed to believe in them, starting with Fujibashi-sensei.

Daichi and Noa stopped in front of one of the classes. Karasuno's captain peeped in and he waved at someone. Meanwhile, Noa fiddled with her skirt, trying to control the nervousness she was feeling.

A girl who had short dark brown hair and round eyes came out of the classroom quickly. Her flush faded when her eyes spotted Noa behind Daichi. The girl raised her eyebrows surprised and she glanced at Daichi, expecting some kind of explanation.

"I'm sorry", Daichi rubbed the back of his neck ashamed, "but I wanted to introduce you to someone". Daichi turned around to point at Noa when his eyes were on somebody else. "Ah! Niimura-san! Could you come here for a second, please?" Noa turned around too. A girl who had mid length pale brown hair and light brown eyes came closer. "Umm… Well, she is Furihata Noa. She came to Japan a few weeks ago. She's a first-year and she has joined the girls' volleyball team recently"

Noa greeted them sheepishly. The two girls glanced skeptical at Noa as they didn't know what was going on. "Welcome", the short haired girl finally said.

"They are Michimiya Yui, she is the former captain, and Niimura Yoshino". Noa nodded while Daichi pointed at the short haired girl first and then at the mid length haired girl. After that, Daichi approached Noa and whispered in her hear, "I accomplished my part. Now it's your turn. Don't make this more awkward than it already is". Noa clicked her tongue and Daichi smiled at the two other girls, "I should probably go so you can speak calmly"

Noa watched Daichi go to another classroom and even closing the door. When she turned around to face the two girls, they were already looking at her. Noa giggled nervously. How she could tell them that she wanted them to be back on the team? If she was too straightforward, they would be scared of her. What should she say in order to make them feel more comfortable?

"So… You have joined the volleyball team…"

Noa jumped a little when she heard Niimura Yoshino speaking. Noa, however, felt relieved as she didn't know how to start a conversation. "Yes. I've made up my mind and I have changed beach volleyball for indoor volleyball"

"And how is it you know Daichi?" Noa raised an eyebrow. Niimura Yoshino looked daggers at Michimiya Yui and she punched her friend in the ribs. "Sorry, sorry. It's none of my business", she cringed in pain.

Noa chuckled. "I don't mind. Daichi is a great guy. He's helping me a lot", Noa's cheeks reddened. "It's amazing how much you can love and appreciate someone you have just met. But I think he has already earned it"

The two third-years eye's widened and Noa smiled innocently at them, unaware of what they could be thinking.

"If I joined the girls' volleyball team is thanks to him. He encouraged me to be the driving force for change", Noa continued. "That's why I asked him to introduce us. I wanted to meet the three girls who gave up when the team was defeated in the preliminaries of the Interhigh. Although I can see there's one more left in this kind of meeting". Noa made a pause before talking again. "No one of the other girls takes me seriously, but I wish the team could compete again. We are only five members now and we can't yet, but if you reconsidered joining in again, we could even reach the Nationals"

The two girls were silent. Finally, they exchanged glances and burst into laughter. In another occasion, Noa would have frowned, but she decided to wait patiently until they finished.

"Why would we come back to the team after quitting?" Niimura Yoshino asked while she wiped a tear from her cheek.

"I've been watching the second-years practices and they are pretty good, but they lack more confidence. If you committed again, I'm sure they would cheer up and…"

"I failed as a captain", Michimiya Yui interrupted her. "I wasn't able to encourage my team and we lost miserably. I can't come back"

Noa swallowed hard. The former captain looked down. She seemed devastated for what happened a few months ago, but it was already in the past. "But you can change that!" Noa took Michimiya Yui's hands, forgetting about any convention. "You can redeem yourself. We'll have to train hard, but you are the only one who can make the volleyball team compete again"

Michimiya Yui's eyes sparkled, but it was Niimura Yoshino who spoke, "Nobody is supporting us, Furihata-san. It's also important to know when you have to give up on something. The girls' volleyball team is over"

"That's not true!" Noa released Michimiya Yui's hands. "If it's over it's because you want to! You are turning your back on it!"

"Enough!" Niimura Yoshino frowned. "We made up our minds. We all suffered a lot and we don't want to get through that again. Fujibashi-sensei doesn't support us and we don't have a coach"

"But…" They had to listen to her. They should listen to her.

"I'm sorry", Niimura Yoshino turned around and started to walk towards her class.

Noa bowed her head, but she noticed that the former captain hadn't moved yet. "What if I get a coach for the team? Would you reconsider it at least?" Noa mumbled. She looked up, but Michimiya Yui looked away.

Noa sighed. She had finished for the momento. She started to walk when she decided to turn around to say one more thing, "You all might have given up, but I haven't". Although she felt hurt, she wasn't going to stop trying. The third-years were the ones who could bring some hope. It wasn't about competing; it was about being a team again. Noa didn't know them well, but she could feel it. They had something to finish off.

"Noa-san…" Sugawara murmured when Noa went past his class. She was staring at the floor and she seemed sad. She didn't notice Sugawara and Asahi's heads as they were eavesdropping the whole conversation. The gray haired turned around to glance at Daichi who was sitting on his desk, arms crossed over his chest. He didn't approve that Asahi and Sugawara were trying to spy on the girls, but, when they saw each other's expressions, Karasuno's captain sighed and looked away. He could imagine it already. Noa's plan didn't work as she had expected.

 **…**

It was the perfect afternoon to not to do anything in particular, so he was sitting in a bench under a tree. He watched his last crisp before eating it and he sighed. He had been watching the girls' practice without them noticing. They didn't do any drills as they usually did. Instead, Oka Chizuko, the captain, explained something to Noa using a blackboard.

He stood up to throw the bag of crisps away when he spotted Furihata Noa in the distance. She seemed to be in a rush as she walked as fast as she could, but he couldn't help but smile.

Although his best and only friend had told him he was being a creep, he had been waiting for her all afternoon. That morning he had been watching her carefully again. She had been in the staffroom and, during that time, the four girls of the female volleyball team had been waiting for her outside. He didn't manage to hear what they were talking, but he was sure that Noa was handing to Fujibashi-sensei her application form. Yet, what really intrigued him was, once again, Sawamura Daichi's presence. After that, when she came out the staffroom, the two of them walked past him without noticing him. That's when he wondered what the hell she was up to.

At that time, she seemed to be alone. Every time he saw her around the campus, she was with someone, so that could be the best chance he'd get to talk to her. He styled his hair with his fingers while he looked at his reflection in one of the windows and then he ran towards her. "Noa-san!" he called her out. Noa turned around to watch him curiously and he waved at her. When he reached her, he breathed heavily, but he tried to look cool. "Did you finish the practice?" he smiled brightly.

"Do I know you?, Noa furrowed her brow while she looked at him up and down. He was much taller than her, but she wasn't intimidated by that. And he wasn't surprised. She used to hang out with tall boys.

"Oh! Sure! How rude!" he rubbed the back of his neck ashamed. "My name is Aoyama Jiro, but you can call me Jiro-chan!"

Noa raised an eyebrow, "Uhhh… Nice to meet you, but I'm in a hurry"

Noa started walking again. Despite her short legs, she was walking fast. His physical condition wasn't optimal, so he was having trouble in keeping up with her. "I guess you are tired. You've been practicing with the girls' volleyball team. I've been watching you and you're all fantastic, but amongst all of them, you're my favorite by far". He touched his chest as his cheeks turned pink. "Ahhh… I can't believe I'm talking to Noa McCormack". Noa stopped walking immediately when she heard that name and so did Jiro. "You are magnificent! I've seen you a lot thanks to the Internet. I remember that I travelled to the United States a year ago and I saw you in a magazine. And I don't even like volleyball! Although I have to admit that beach volleyball has a certain charm", he giggled.

"Stop talking or I swear I'll punch you in the face", Noa gave him a death stare. She wasn't joking, but that only made Jiro laugh even more.

"Ahhh… Furi-chan!" the boy put his arm around Noa's shoulders. What has he just called her? "You don't have to worry. I'm not a stalker"

"Stop it!" Noa pushed him, so he released her. She started to walk again, even faster than before. "Stay away from me, you pervert!"

"I'm not a pervert!" he talked back as he followed her closely. "I might have sounded like one, but it's not like I'm interested in girls"

"Good for you"

Jiro smirked. "I know what you are doing. I know you want the female volleyball team to compete again and I love the idea. That's why I want to be the team manager!" Noa stopped on her tracks. Jiro stopped before bumping into her.

Noa raised an eyebrow and she clicked her tongue before speaking again. "You? The manager? Don't you have anything to do with your life?"

"I like sports a lot. In fact, I played soccer before. I started out as a goalkeeper, but I ended up being a forward! I had a serious injury, so I spent last year without going to class while I recovered. Unfortunately, I can't compete anymore". Noa watched him skeptical. Why was he telling her all that if they just met? "I should be a second-year, but due to the fact that I didn't study anything for a year, I'm a freshman. And now, you are here, Furi-chan! Now I've seen the light! You are my savior angel!" he took her hands and he looked down to watch her in the eyes. Noa swallowed hard, but, weirdly, she couldn't get mad at him. Gently, she got away from him. He was nuts.

"I'm going to tell you this slowly, so you can understand what I'm saying", Noa made a pause. "I don't give a shit about you or your story. I have more important things to do"

"But Furi-chan!" Noa clenched her teeth. If she heard one more Furi-chan, she was going to crush him. "I was hoping you to accept me"

"I'm just a player. I can't make such an important decision. If you want to join in, you should talk to the captain, but I doubt she'll allow a pervert like you to be our manager"

"Ahhh… You are so mean, Furi-ch-"

"Goodbye", she cut him off before hearing again that stupid nickname he was using to address her.

Although she kept walking, trying not to look back, it seemed that the boy wasn't following her anymore. Noa, however, had the feeling that Aoyama Jiro wasn't the type of person who gives up so easily. And, sooner or later, she was going to realize that she wasn't wrong. Jiro was willing to show them that he was pretty serious about becoming their manager.

Noa sighed once she took a seat in the bus. She had finally had to run to catch the bus on time because of that creepy boy. Aoyama Jiro was tall and thin. He had short, slightly spiky dark blue hair and violet-colored eyes. But the most irritating thing about him was that straightforward personality. Around him, Noa felt overwhelmed by everything he was saying, but at that moment, she thought that, actually, she should had been scared of him. He knew many things about her, maybe too many, and, moreover, he used to spy on her volleyball practice.

She sighed. Her head hurt. That day she was expecting a normal practice, but her teammates had planned something quite different. They explained her all indoor volleyball rules. Even the captain used a blackboard! Apparently, they thought Noa should know how indoor volleyball works before doing any drills, something Noa found stupid, but she paid attention anyway.

She rested her head in the seat as she watched the people through the bus window. When she saw her reflection in the glass, she noticed the big black bags which were under her eyes. That evening she looked even worse than that morning. And, then, Yamaguchi and the rest of the volleyball team came to her mind. Normally, after practice, the boys' volleyball team stayed for a bit longer in the gym in order to keep improving their skills. Their expedition to Tokyo was soon, but, before that, Hinata and Kageyama had even less time to prepare their supplementary exams. She checked her watch to know if she was on time. She was hoping she could finish early to go to coach Ukai's family store. She had something for Hinata.

When she arrived to her destination, Noa's mouth wide opened. Shiratorizawa was the biggest school she had ever seen, even her legs were shaking due to its magnificence. She bit her bottom lip nervously as she walked through the campus. Maybe, she should have changed before, since every student she was bumping into glanced at her uniform curiously. _I must look like a lamb,_ she thought. But she had a mission. She must find Mori Hatsue.

During last night, Noa came to the conclusion that the team needed a coach. Unfortunately, she didn't know anyone who had a great wealth of knowledge about volleyball, so she had spent almost all night searching on the Internet. That's how she found out about Mori Hatsue. Maybe, that woman didn't know anything about volleyball, but she did know what competing means.

Noa still smiled when she remembered her. Mori Hatsue was one of the many players her mum had played against to. At that moment, Mori Hatsue wasn't competing anymore and she was like a personal trainer. She was working for different associations in order to make sure that the most promising talents were physically and mentally prepared to go to the national team. And one of those national teams was Japan's volleyball team.

Noa didn't remember her well, but she hoped that she did remember her. Despite of being rivals when she was a professional water polo player, Mori Hatsue was the only friend Noa's mum had in Japan. The rivalry they had in the swimming pool had turned into friendship and Noa was hoping that could be useful.

"Oh. I'm sorry". Noa felt she had bumped into someone, so she apologized. That campus was immense and, as much as she tried, she couldn't find the gym she was looking for. She didn't get an answer, so she looked up. And up. And up. And up. Until her eyes met one of the most intimidating stares she had ever seen. If it hadn't been for his tracksuit, Noa would have thought that that boy was a teacher. He had dark olive-brown hair and dark olive eyes, but his stoic expression made him look much older.

"Karasuno?" Noa felt a shiver running down her spine when she heard him talk.

"Y-Yes!" Noa smiled nervously and she scratched her head. "I needed to see someone and I think I got lost". The boy didn't move as he had his eyes fixed on her. "I was looking for Mori Hatsue"

And, without saying a word, he turned around and started to walk. Noa tilted her head, but she guessed he wanted her to follow him, so that's what she did. Noa walked behind him when she noticed the flag of Japan embroidered in his tracksuit. Maybe she should ask Hinata or Daichi about it. That school must be in a different level.

Suddenly, he stopped walking and Noa bumped into him again. He turned around slightly to glance at her curiously and Noa bowed her head trying to apologize once again. He must be thinking that she was an idiot.

The boy opened the door and, when Noa went into the gym, her mouth opened. It was the biggest gym she had ever seen. How much budget had that high school? They crossed it and, finally, he opened a small blue door.

"Ah! Ushijima-kun, it's you". Noa heard a woman's voice when the boy opened the door without even knocking. Ushijima got away from Noa, so the woman could notice her presence. "Who is she?" she asked raising an eyebrow. "I didn't know you have a girlfriend"

"I-I'm Furihata Noa", she mumbled without much realizing what Mori Hatsue had thought about her in the first place.

"Furihata Noa?" The woman looked at her up and down. "Are you Furihata Hayate-san and Calliope-san's daughter?"

Noa giggled nervously, "Well, Calliope-san is not a Furihata anymore"

"You've grown up a lot"

Noa nodded. But, actually, Mori Hatsue had changed a lot in the last ten years. At that moment, she had thirty-six years old. She was still tall and thin, she stil had a body prepared for doing sport, but she hadn't short black hair like before. She had dyed it and she had now red long hair.

"Leave us alone for a moment, Ushijima-kun", Mori Hatsue turned around to talk to the boy. "We'll talk later". He nodded and left the room. Noa swallowed hard. What should she say? "I have to admit that I'm surprised you are in Japan. I thought your mother left the country"

"She did. Well… I did too, but I'm back"

"I can see that", the woman pointed at a chair. "Is she okay? I haven't heard of her for ages"

"Oh yes! She… Well… She's in the United States. My father has my custody now", Noa answered while sitting down in the chair.

"I see… I guess I can't be upset with you then. Your mother disappeared and I haven't known anything about her or you. It's really frustrating when you consider someone your best friend, but that person forgets you so easily"

Noa lowered her head. She was embarrassed by her mother's behavior, "I'm sorry"

"You don't have to apologize. Your mother does", Mori Hatsue sighed. "Are you doing well at high school?"

"Y-Yes! Pretty good actually. Although I'm still getting used to living in Japan. And you? How are you?"

"Now I'm fine. I've been through a lot the last year. I got divorced, but my princess Megumi makes everything worth it"

Noa's eyes widened. "You have a daughter!?"

Mori Hatsue giggled, "What did you expect? I gave up water polo a few years ago and I started a family. Now I train Japanese young talents like Ushijima-kun. I have to make sure that they are physically and mentally prepared for competing in a professional level and that includes the national team. I travelled a lot, but now, due to the fact that my daughter is only three, I'm only working in Miyagi and the other prefectures around"

"Yeah I know", Noa scratched her head. "I looked for you on the Internet"

"What do you want, Noa-san?" Mori Hatsue crossed her arms. Right to the point.

"I… Well… I've joined the girls' volleyball team in Karasuno high school and I need your help. I was wondering if you would be our coach"

Mori Hatsue closed her eyes, reflexive, and she kept silence for a few minutes. "No", she answered frankly.

"But…"

"I don't know anything about volleyball. What could I teach you? On the other hand, if I accepted your offer, I wouldn't get anything in return. I mean. It's not like I care about money. In fact, I have a good salary. But I have a daughter. Do you really think I'm going to lose my time being your coach when I can spend it with my three-year-old daughter?" Noa lowered her head. She wasn't expecting she would have taken her offer so fast, but, at least, Noa thought she would have thought about it. "I appreciate you came all the way down here, but I ask you to leave now"

Noa fiddled with her fingers and she bit her bottom lip. Damn it. Why did she want to cry? Since when had she become a crybaby? Even so, she didn't shed any tear. She was going to keep on trying.

She stood up and clenched her fists. Noa glared at Mori Hatsue and, finally, she nodded. She turned around. She heard how the woman sighed, but she didn't look back. She opened the door and she crossed the gym, ignoring the boys who were having practice at that moment.

She needed a new strategy or plan. Everything had been easier on her mind. She laid against the bus stop and closed her eyes while she waited. The sun was already setting. As the sky turned orange, she thought about Hinata. She needed to see him.

When the bus arrived at Torono, it was night already. Noa ran through the streets trying to get on time to coach Ukai's family store. Every time the boys finished practice, they gathered there in order to help Hinata and Kageyama, so she was hoping they were still there. She had been working on something during last night to help Hinata to study English. Since she had started her personal project which involved getting a new coach for the female volleyball team, she wasn't helping Hinata as much as she expected, so she wanted to make it up for him.

When she opened the door, she saw Yachi and Ennoshita standing and holding one paper each. Noa tried to ask what was happening, but she needed to catch her breath before speaking. Everyone, however, was unaware of her presence, so Noa figured out by herself what was going on.

Yachi and Ennoshita gave the papers to Hinata and Kageyama. After a long silence, the two boys moaned. No matter how much they were studying, they couldn't get more than eighty points. According to what Yamaguchi explained her that morning, apparently, the vice principal had punished them for the incident which took place a few days ago and which involved a certain wig.

"It's no use", Hinata moaned.

"You've just a little more to go!" Yachi tried to encourage them. "Just a mere few points!"

"Thirty points is more than 'a mere few points", Ennoshita sweat dropped.

"I'm sorry Yachi-san, everyone… You tried your best to help us"

"Hinata, you shouldn't give up like that", Yachi smiled trying to comfort them, but it was impossible.

"I think I'll just have to try my best to bike to Tokyo…"

"You've got another three days left! Keep trying", Nishinoya remarked.

Noa sighed. Kageyama and Hinata were exerting theirselves. It was a pity that they weren't achieving their goal.

"Guys, don't be disappointed", Noa stepped forward. Everyone looked at her when they finally realized she was there.

"Noa-san!" Yamaguchi smiled at her. "We haven't seen you arrive". Suddenly, Yamaguchi's expression changed and he looked concerned, "Why are you so red?"

"Uh? What?" Noa covered her face with her hands, clearly ashamed. "Well, I wanted to be on time to give something to Hinata, so I ran". Noa looked for something in her backpack and she put a lot of papers of different colors on the table. Everyone looked curious. "These are colored cards. The cards which are blue are for vocabulary, white, verbs and yellow, structures. That's how I learnt the kanjis. In my free time, while I was walking home, for example, I took them a look. I hope they'll be useful, Hinata. I've been doing them last night", Noa smiled trying to encourage him, but it didn't seem to have much effect.

"This is incredible, Noa-san", Yachi was reading them. "Everything is well explained and organized". Noa rubbed the back of her neck, ashamed. It wasn't a big deal.

"It's no use… They're completely done", Ennoshita looked at them hopeless.

"I expected you two to improve more, but your results are like this", Tsukishima picked up from the floor the exams Yachi and Ennoshita had just corrected. "You're having trouble with something that's at a textbook level. You have no hope". He smirked. Noa crossed her arms. _There he goes again_. "For Modern Japanese Literature the answers are already in the question, so it shouldn't be hard for a simple headed King". Kageyama clenched his teeth and so did Noa. She could understand him. She had the same problem. "English is just a language! Oh! But I guess it would be impossible for a chimpanzee to understand it". Tsukishima left the exams on the table and headed to the door. "Ahhh… But the training camp will be so peaceful", he opened the door, "since you two won't be coming. I'll be heading out first". And then he left showing a big smile.

Noa clenched her fists, so her knuckles went white. How did he dare? Yamaguchi opened his mouth to tell her something. He tried to reach her, but Noa ignored him and left the store in the blink of an eye. "Hey! You!" Tsukishima was already a bit far away from her. The blond, who was putting his headphones on, glanced at her over his shoulders. He saw Noa, but he didn't stop. She clicked her tongue. She hated him. She hated Tsukishima Kei. She ran toward him and, when she was next to him, she hit him in the arm. "I was calling you out!"

Tsukishima stopped walking and closed his eyes, trying to contain himself. "You hurt me", he remarked, tapping his arm still in pain.

Noa smirked and she crossed her arms, "If that's how I'm going to get all your attention, then I'm glad I've hurt you"

"What do you want?" he asked facing her. Noa had to look up to see his face due to Tsukishima's closeness. He was doing it on purpose. He was emphasizing how tall he was and how small she was.

"Stop treating Hinata and Kageyama like that!"

"Are you their mother now?"

"No, but I'm their friend! And you're teammates! You may not get along well with them, but you are a team. You don't have the right t-"

"Do you truly think that I'm too stupid to lose my time insulting that pair of idiots?" Noa raised an eyebrow. "Before accusing me of something like that, I'd recommend you to go back to coach Ukai's family store. Maybe it isn't the most orthodox method, but I know that if I tell them that kind of things, they'll took the study seriously and they'll manage to get more than eighty points. I don't need to prepare some stupid cards full of vocabulary. That might work for you, but not for them". Tsukishima started to walk again. Noa glared at him in silence during a few seconds, but he spoke again while he kept getting away from her. "Don't blame me because you didn't do well in Modern Literature and you're as stupid as Kageyama in that aspect"

Noa felt a shiver running down her spine. She felt the need to punch him again. "I'm not stupid! If I were stupid, I wouldn't get a perfect mark in Math!" She smirked. Yes, she had sounded much more childish than she had already planned at first, but she was satisfied as she realized Tsukishima had stopped on his tracks. Yet, Noa kept walking, ignoring his expression of disbelief.

"That's impossible", he mumbled while Noa walked past him. "The last problem…"

"Fujibashi-sensei is a devilish woman, but, at the end, the last exercise wasn't as difficult as it seemed", Noa looked at Tsukishima and smirked. "You think I'm stupid because I couldn't get more than sixty points in the Modern Literature exam, but I'm a Math genius". Noa winked at him. "I've already explained the exercise to Yamaguchi while we walked to high school. It's a pity you weren't paying attention… As always, you were walking far away from us while you listened to some music, as if I was a pain in the ass"

Tsukishima clicked his tongue and looked away. Noa, however, smirked. So he hadn't been able to solve it… That filled Noa with satisfaction, but, as odd as it could be, Noa didn't feel like rubbing it in his face. Noa sighed, so Tsukishima glared at her sideways. "All right", Noa looked at him. "I can explain it to you, if you want to"

"I didn't ask for your help", Tsukishima frowned. "Besides, how I know you don't want something in return?"

Noa looked daggers at him, "Do you really think I'm such a bad person?"

Tsukishima shrugged, "I don't know. First of all, you're not very polite. I mean, you have a strange way of using the honorifics. You just use them with Asahi-san". Noa blushed. "How would I know if you are the kind of person who wants something in return?"

Noa clicked her tongue, "You're very distrustful, did you know that?"

"I could say exactly the same about you. Do I have to remind you what you have said about me since we met?"

Noa kept silent for a few seconds. He caught her. The only thing she had done since they met was judging him because of a simple stare. Noa was too arrogant to assume she was wrong. But Tsukishima hadn't made an effort either in order to change her mind, quite the opposite in fact.

"Yamaguchi is your best friend, isn't he?" Tsukishima raised an eyebrow when he heard Noa's question. "Then, why does he have to walk with me when we're going all together to high school? Why do you always walk a few meters away from us? Okay. I might be loud, but you're being a prick", Noa pointed at him in an accusing way. "Yamaguchi is a good boy. I like him. I mean, not in a romantic way. Don't get me wrong. He's the kind of person that I want as a friend. And if that means that I have to put up with people like you and if that means that I have to help them to solve some Math problem, I'll do it eagerly"

Tsukishima burst into laughter, so Noa frowned. She wasn't being funny. She was completely serious. "You have just said the silliest thing ever", Tsukishima smirked. "Seriously, I think you are the person with the simplest arguments ever"

Noa didn't respond. Her expression was illegible, and, weirdly, Tsukishima was worry about that. Maybe he had crossed the line and he should apologize. He opened his mouth, but before he could say anything else, Noa ran away and towards her house. Tsukishima sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. Yamaguchi was going to be upset with him for that.

* * *

 **~See you next time!**


	10. Geeks & creeps

**A/N: There's so much drama going on in the last chapters, but I promise it will be over soon. After that, everything will be full of fluffly stuff. Okay. That's not true, but everything will be happier ;)  
Welcome to my new followers! And thanks to Guest for the reviews. You know you can write your opinions or suggestions. All feedback will be much appreciated.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Haikyuu or its characters**

* * *

 **CHAPTER NINE  
** Geeks and creeps

"Wait, Tsukki!"

Tsukishima sat down on his desk while Yamaguchi followed him. Although everything seemed normal that morning, he felt something was wrong. As usual, they waited for Furihata Noa and, then, they walked to high school together as he listened to some music while Yamaguchi and Furihata talked.

He didn't feel well about what had happened the night before. There was something he didn't like about Furihata, but he realized that he had crossed the line. At first, Tsukishima thought that she was going to tell Yamaguchi about it because, let's face it, those two got along well, but his best friend was acting normal that day. She didn't tell him anything about their argument. And it annoyed him because he couldn't help but feel a certain guilt.

"Hey, Yamaguchi", he took off his headphones, "Why didn't you tell me that Furihata-san got a perfect score in Math?"

Yamaguchi blinked in confusion. Tsukishima always acted weird around her, so he was taken aback by the sudden question. "Well…" he hesitated. He wasn't sure if he should be honest with him. "I told her that I thought the Math exam was hard. She told me then that it was easy and she got a perfect score. I was surprised, especially because the last exercise was extremely difficult, so she explained it to me. At the end, it was much easier than I thought". Yamaguchi stared at his friend who clicked his tongue. "I didn't tell you anything because you are very intelligent, Tsukki!" he smiled, trying to comfort his best friend.

"Don't say that", Tsukishima frowned. That wasn't true at all.

"Okay…" Yamaguchi sighed. "It's obvious that you don't feel comfortable around her. You two have some kind of unspoken rivalry and I don't want to be stuck in the middle. You are my best friend and I'm getting to know Furihata-san more and more every day and I like that. We are becoming good friends. She's nice and funny and I don't want to lose any opportunity of making new friends, but I don't want to lose you either"

Tsukishima rubbed the back of his neck. More or less, Yamaguchi remarked the same things Furihata had told him the night before. When he heard her, he thought she was being silly, but at that moment he thought the opposite.

He closed his eyes. He was feeling confused. After talking to Yamaguchi he was willing to give Furihata Noa a chance, although he was completely sure that they weren't going to become friends. They were too different. "I've been thinking about the Math problem. We haven't studied functions yet"

Yamaguchi shrugged, "I know"

"Can you explain me the exercise?"

Yamugichi's eyes widened. Tsukishima wasn't the type of person who'd ask something like that. "I think you should ask Furihata-san". Tsukishima seethed and looked away. "Come on, Tsukki! I think it's a good opportunity to try to know her better! I know she'll help you"

"She'll want something in return"

"So what? That's not so bad!" Tsukishima looked daggers at his friend and Yamaguchi giggled. "Don't look at me like that. She didn't ask me for something in return. I don't think she would do that. She might seem rude, but she's nicer than you think. Besides, she'll explain it better than me"

As the first class started, Tsukishima tried to pay attention to what the teacher was saying as much as he could. Yet, he couldn't stop thinking about Furihata Noa. Yamaguchi was right.

As usual, Yamaguchi and Tsukishima had lunch together. His best friend used to talk all the time while he mumbled some monosyllables. However, when they finished, Tsukishima got up. Yamaguchi stared at him and chuckled when he saw the blond leaving the classroom without saying a word. He didn't need to, though, because Yamaguchi knew him too well. He was going to talk to Furihata-san.

Tsukishima stood in front of the class 5 door. After a few seconds, he clicked his tongue and turned around, but it was too late.

"Tsukishima-kun, what are you doing here?"

Tsukishima glanced over his shoulder. Yachi blushed and fiddled with her fingers. He sighed and turned around again to talk to her. "Is Furihata-san inside?"

"Y-Yes! Do you want to talk to her?" her eyes widened.

Tsukishima frowned. She seemed too excited about that. "Yes. I need to talk to her"

Yachi nodded and went into the classroom. He crossed his arms and waited patiently as Furihata Noa was taking too much time. What the hell was that girl doing? He clenched his teeth. She was doing it on purpose. He was sure about that.

Finally, she appeared, still chewing something. When she swallowed what she was eating, she spoke, "Sorry. I was finishing my lunch"

"You're too slow"

Noa put her hands on her hips, "Did you come here only to tell me that? Or are you going to remark how simple I am?"

Tsukishima's expression didn't change. He wasn't going to answer that. She was being childish. As always. "I was wondering if you'd like to explain me the last exercise of the Math exam"

Noa raised an eyebrow, "Are you still thinking about that? It's just an exercise, you know"

"I know. But I'd appreciate if you helped me. I'd like to know the answer. That's something the people who want to learn do. They ask questions in order to improve", he hissed. Noa opened her mouth, but he spoke again. "If you explain me how I can solve the Math problem, I'll give you some advice, so you can improve in Modern Literature"

Noa didn't answer immediately. She seemed absentminded, so Tsukishima sighed. It wasn't so complicated. She only had to say 'yes' or 'no'.

"Okay", she answered finally.

"Good. We'll meet at the library after classes. We have almost two hours until practice starts"

And before she could say anything else, he turned around and walked towards his class.

 **…**

Noa saw Tsukishima who was already waiting for her in front of the school library. She waved at him and smiled while he stared at her with his indifferent expression. "How are you?" she asked.

"Don't try to be nice with me", he spat as he entered into the library.

Noa clicked her tongue, "I'm just trying to be polite", she responded almost whispering. Many of the tables were already taken by third-years, so she didn't want to bother them.

Tsukishima pointed at a table next to one of the windows and they took a seat side by side.

"Okay", Tsukishima took from his backpack his Math exam and a notebook. "You start"

Noa leaned forward in order to have a better look. Tsukishima's exam was almost perfect, apart from the last exercise. Noa grinned. That's why he was obsessed with knowing the answer. She took the exam from his hands and read the formulation carefully. She frowned, trying to remember everything. "Well… I knew how to solve it because I've already studied Quadratic Functions in high school and, besides, I'm interested in the subject", Noa took the paper and a pencil. "Listen carefully", Tsukishima nodded. "We'll use the vertical motion model which is already given. We have to substitute _vt_ for 32, because the initial velocity is 32 feet per second, and _s_ for 0, because the starting high is 0 feet in order to figure out the amount of time the ball is in the air"

Noa started writing some equations as she kept explaining the procedure and, at the same time, she drew the diagram of the problem. Tsukishima only nodded, so she supposed he was understanding everything she was telling him. When she finished, half of the paper was full of numbers. "And that's all"

Tsukishima took the paper and looked at it again. "Well. I'm impressed. This is algebra, but now it sounds easier"

"In fact, it is. Math can be beautiful!" Noa's cheeks turned a slight pink. "Most people understand the beauty of a painting or a piece of music. We call great works of art 'beautiful' if they are aesthetically pleasing or express fundamental ideas in a profound way, and mathematicians feel the same way about particularly elegant proofs. Many say the most beautiful result of all is Euler's equation. He was a Swiss mathematician in the 18th century, and is considered to be one of the greatest of all time". Noa's eyes sparkled. "Euler's equation expresses a universal truth, valid in any language or culture. It contains five of the most important numbers in Math: _0_ , _1_ , _e_ , _i_ , and _pi_ , along with the fundamental concepts of addition, multiplication, and exponentiation"

Tsukishima stared at her. As she explained everything, she seemed to be glowing. He chuckled, so she looked daggers at him. He waved his hands, trying to comfort her until he was able to speak, "You are a geek"

Noa frowned, "No, I'm not!" She raised her voice more than necessary, so one of the third-years shut her up. "Sorry", she mumbled smiling sheepishly at his senpai and, then, she twirled to whisper to Tsukishima again. "I only like Math. That's all"

"I'm not judging you", he admitted, "but you don't look like the type of girl who would love Math"

"Well that's enough", Noa shrugged, "It's your turn"

Tsukishima glanced at her and couldn't help but smirk. "First of all, I need to have a look on your Modern Literature exam. Have you brought it?"

Noa nodded. After a few seconds, she took it out of her backpack and handed it to Tsukishima. He looked at it carefully before speaking again. "Your score in Kanji is good, but the problem is obviously in the reading comprehension. You seem to have the same problem Kageyama has. The answer is already in the question", Tsukishima sighed. "I'll give you some advice".

He waited patiently while Noa took a notebook to take some notes. "Sometimes the answers are already in the questions, so read them first. After that, you can read the text. It is not unusual for any person to wander somewhere while reading something uninteresting. So, when you find the comprehension dull, difficult and uninteresting, your eyes run through the sentences, but your mind wanders somewhere else", Noa nodded. That was her main problem. "Focus on the content. Don't let your mind go away from there. If you start daydreaming, tell yourself that you have plenty of time to dream after the exam"

Noa raised an eyebrow. He had to be kidding her.

"You don't need to understand each and every word of the comprehension", he continued. "At the same time, you should find the summary of it. Both these points may appear contradictory, but the crucial thing is, you need to eliminate the words, phrases, sentences from the reading comprehension that are not useful and you need to focus on keywords. Underline them. It'll be easier"

Noa sighed and she put her hands in the back of her neck. "You know; this is so boring. I hate reading". Tsukishima opened his mouth, but he didn't say anything, so she continued. "That's the main problem"

"Then, why did you want some help?" he furrowed his brow.

"I appreciate your advice and I'll take it into account, but I can like reading all of a sudden"

"So… You don't read books…"

"Nope", Noa put her elbow on the table and she rested her head on her palm. "I only read magazines or stuff full of nice pictures". Tsukishima's expression went blank and Noa grinned. "Surprised?"

"A little bit"

Noa chuckled and checked her watch. "We should be moving. Our practice starts in a few minutes"

Tsukishima nodded and they started to pick their things up. They didn't speak about themselves, but time had passed faster than he expected. Although he would never tell Yamaguchi, his friend was right. Noa wasn't as obnoxious as he thought and he had the feeling that Noa's opinion of him had also changed.

"Oi", he stopped before leaving the school building. Noa turned around and watched him carefully. "Sorry about last night. I shou-"

"Don't apologize", Noa smirked. "It doesn't suit you". She kept walking. "I didn't tell Yamaguchi because it's none of his business", she added frankly, although she would never admit it out loud, that Tsukishima was right in the first place.

As Tsukishima's legs were longer than hers, he easily started to walk next to her. Although they weren't friends and, probably, they wpuld have more arguments during the year, at that moment, everything seemed normal between them.

"Did you tell Yamaguchi?"

"About what?" Tsukishima glanced sideways at Noa.

"About Daichi and me. That we are going to become family". Tsukishima didn't say anything. Noa looked up and clicked her tongue. "Okay… So you didn't know about it"

"Actually, I do" Noa stared curiously at Tsukishima and he sighed. He needed to explain himself and he hated that. "My mum works in the morning and Daichi-san's mum works in the afternoon, even in the evening, so my mum is helping with the move until your father arrives when Daichi's mum has to work"

"Oh", Noa didn't know what to respond, so she scratched her head uncomfortable. Now she was curious about Tsukishima's mum and how she was. "Why didn't you tell him? Yamaguchi, I mean"

"Why would I do that?"

Noa shrugged, "I don't know. He's your friend"

"I'm not a nosy", he spat.

"Sorry, sorry. I didn't mean that"

In the distance, Noa spotted Hinata, Kageyama, Yamaguchi and Yachi who were walking to the gym too. Hinata was the first one to notice their presence and he waved at them eagerly. Noa smiled while she and Tsukishima joined them. She liked Hinata's enthusiasm in everything. It was contagious.

"Where do you come from?" Hinata asked curiously.

"Tsukki and Furihata-san went to the library. They've been studying together"

"Shut up, Yamaguchi"

"Sorry, Tsukki"

Noa giggled, "What have you been doing, guys?"

"We've been reviewing the last lessons", Yachi explained.

"You should have stayed with us, Noa-san!" Hinata claimed.

"Sorry", Noa rubbed the back of her neck. "I've been busy these days. I'm still working on my project which involves the girls' volleyball team. Do you remember, guys?"

"Sure!" Hinata jumped excited as Kageyama nodded eagerly.

"I'm searching for a coach, but everything is being much complicated than I expected". Noa's expression saddened, but she tried to look as happy as she could. "Yesterday I visited Shiratorizawa. The campus is amazing!" a broad grin appeared on her face.

"Yes! Kageyama and I, we have been there!"

"When?" Tsukishima demanded.

"Oh!" Noa snapped her fingers before Hinata or Kageyama could say something. "I almost forget! I met a tall guy. I don't know if you know him. He's in the volleyball team. His name is Ushijima or something like that"

"JAPAN!" Hinata stopped in his tracks while he clenched his fists. His eyes were sparkling.

"Have you said Ushijima?" Kageyama got so close that their noses were almost touching, so Noa blushed uncomfortable.

"Yes. Do you know him?"

"Of course we do!" Kageyama shouted. "He's one of the best players in Japan! He's Shiratorizawa's captain and ace!"

"We went to Shiratorizawa and challenged him! We won't lose against him! He'll remember our names!" Hinata added pointing at Noa.

"That's stupid", Tsukishima remarked. "What would you do if we have to face them in the preliminaries?"

"We'll beat them, Tsukishima! We'll do it!"

Tsukishima and Hinata kept arguing all the way to the gym. Yamaguchi and Yachi looked at them hopeless, but Noa couldn't help but smile. She liked Hinata's resolve and how he defended himself, although Tsukishima's words were too harsh sometimes. She didn't know Shiratorizawa, she didn't know what kind of power its team had, but she was convinced that the trip to Tokyo was going to help Karasuno in order to keep improving their skills. They would achieve their goal; they would beat any team which was willing to stand in their way to Nationals.

Noa strayed from the path towards the gym where the girls had practice. She was jealous of the boys' volleyball team. They didn't qualify for the Interhigh, but nobody had quit, not even the third-years. That was the kind of spirit she wanted to rub off on her teammates. But she was finding it almost impossible. She could have asked Daichi again for some help, due to the fact that he knew the third-years, but Noa thought that, if she did, she would be taking advantage of the captain's trust.

"Hello", she said as she opened the changing room door. Noa noticed that the girls exchanged glances. "What?"

"We have something for you", Oka Chizuko, the captain, stepped forward. She handed a box to Noa. The first-year glanced at her teammates with suspicious eyes.

"Just open it! Damn it!" Harada Ayako ordered, putting her hands on her hips.

Noa opened the box and her eyes widened. Inside there was a girls' volleyball tracksuit. She jumped, her eyes full of excitement, and looked at it carefully. It was black, very similar to the tracksuit the boys' volleyball team wore, but she found it special anyway. She was part of the Karasuno's female volleyball team.

"Thank you!"

"Don't", Oka Chizuko rubbed the back of her neck. "You have joined the team and you needed one. That's all"

Noa nodded, but she wanted to thank the team anyway.

"Now, hurry up and change!" Harada Ayako pointed at her while her twin sister smirked.

Noa couldn't help but giggle. The twins were very tough, but Noa guessed they were doing it for her own good. She promised them that they were going to compete again and, at that moment, Noa thought that they were telling her those things because they truly wanted to encourage her.

Noa blushed when she saw herself in a mirror. She liked her new tracksuit. Although the process wasn't complete, Noa felt that she was starting to be part of something.

They started practice warming up following the captain's instructions. Oka Chizuko was a cheerful girl, but maybe too innocent to be the captain. She was too kind. But she had the twins to help her, specially Harada Ayako, who didn't hesitate when it came to yelling at Noa if it was necessary. Her sister, Ayaka, otherwise, was as rude as her twin sister, however, she was shyer.

After warming up, they set up the court to play some one-set matches. They were only five, so they split into teams of two members and they switched places when one of the teams won. In that way, everyone would have a different partner. Meanwhile, the remaining player would be the referee.

On the other hand, everyone played in different positions. That didn't bother Noa, but it was clear that she wasn't able to control her strength. She wasn't especially good at receives, but set ups weren't her thing either. She tossed sometimes the ball too high and her teammate couldn't spike it properly. Noa, however, was lucky enough not to lose any match during practice. She had to improve a lot, but she still managed to read the matches well, although they were mere practice.

"I'm exhausted", Shiraiwa Mayu, the libero, mumbled while she sat down on the bench.

"It isn't a big deal", Noa took one of the bottles.

"Well… You say that because you have too much energy. You're impossible to beat"

Noa chuckled, "That's not true". She sipped some water. "The main problem is that you lack a certain experience. I mean, if we played some matches, everything would be different. Your body will get used to it"

"If you say so…"

"Why don't we play a match? A real practice match?" Noa's eyes sparkled.

"Hold your horses, American girl!" Apparently, Ayaka and the rest of the team heard the conversation.

"We are five members!" Ayako raised an eyebrow. "We can't compete. Don't you remember?"

"I don't think that's important. We can play against the Housewives' Association, for example. Hinata told me t-"

"You don't surrender easily, do you?"

"Why would I do that?" Noa furrowed her brow. "I made a promise"

"To whom? Don't you see that we don't care about your stupid plans?"

Noa's eyes widened. Well, she didn't ask them for their opinion, but she was expecting they were believing in her. They were there when she gave Fujibashi-sensei the application form, they explained her the indoor volleyball rules, they had practice with her and they gave her her new Karasuno tracksuit. Was everything a lie?

Then, she was able to see things clearly. Harada Ayako wasn't trying to encourage her; she was mocking her.

"Ayako…" the captain muttered as she put her hand on the setter's shoulder.

"Stop it, Chizuko! Let's make things clear right now!" Ayako stepped aside and faced Noa. "We only accepted you in the team because you're like a pain in the ass! We thought that if we let you join in, you'd stop whatever you are trying to do. We don't want to compete again because we failed! Game over!" Ayako clenched her fists. "Let us enjoy our last days in the team for God's sake!"

Harada Ayako turned around and left the gym followed by the rest of the team. Noa wished she could have said something, but she was speechless. She bit her bottom lip and closed her eyes. Was it really what people thought about her? Did Hinata, Yamaguchi, Yachi and especially Daichi think that?

Noa felt a lump in her throat and she screamed. She felt the anger and the rage running through her veins. Why weren't they honest? Why did everything have to be so complicated? Why weren't things going according to plan?

She took the volleyballs, already in the metal carts, and she tossed them in the air, hitting them once and again, harder and harder, until she laid on the court, feeling exhausted. She sighed, holding back her tears. She was an idiot. She was an idiot for believing that everything was going to turn out well.

"What are you doing, Furi-chan?"

Aoyama Jiro was staring at her, standing. Noa blinked, whishing his presence was a nightmare, but the boy didn't disappear. She finally sat on the floor and she scratched her head, a little bit confused. Balls were spread all around the gym, so she stood up in order to tidy up the mess.

"Let me help you"

Noa didn't oppose. Together, they could finish and go home sooner. At that moment, it was the only thing on Noa's mind. She wanted to get into her bed and disappear from the world. Maybe, the girls had been sending her signals, but she had been blind. She had been so selfish that she didn't have her teammates in mind. Noa felt terrible. She was a horrible person.

"I wanted to talk to you", Jiro watched how she closed the gym door.

"I'm not in the mood"

Jiro chuckled, "Maybe you'll be if I introduce you to Watanabe Nagisa, for example"

Noa raised an eyebrow, "Who is she?"

He burst into laughter, "Nagi-chan isn't a girl! He's a boy! And a very good-looking one! Every girl in this high school knows him! He is my best friend!"

Noa's expression went blank. So that freak, after all, had friends. What a surprise…

"By the way, I've talked to the captain like you told me yesterday". And that's how he managed to catch all her attention. "But she told me that I was a weird guy. The twins are tough girls. They protect their captain really well", he laughed innocently while he rubbed the back of his neck.

That explained everything. Noa then could understand why Ayako had behaved like that. She was sure that the girls thought that Jiro's actions were planned by her. Noa clenched her fists.

"But I know you'll cheer up! I have good news!" Jiro got closer to Noa and smiled. "I've arranged a practice match in Tokyo this weekend!" Noa's face changed, but it wasn't for good. Jiro, however, jumped excited. "I wanted to show you that I was being serious about becoming your manager, so I've been calling a lot of teams in order to search for a good rival. Most of them told me that they were aware of the girls' volleyball team current situation. But, when I spoke with Itachiyama Academy and I told them that you were on the team, Furi-chan, they knew you! That was glorious! So they agreed. Although there's one condition: you have to play. They didn't ask anything else!"

"You have done what!?" Noa couldn't believe it. Why did he do something like that without even asking? She already had so many problems. She couldn't handle that creepy boy's insanity.

"You are going to play a real practice match! It'll take place this weekend and…!"

"Have you gone mad!?" Noa stepped forward and she grabbed his shirt "How are we going to get there, huh!? Have you thought about that!? How on Earth are we going to play if we only have five members!?" Noa's face reddened due to the anger. "Who do you think you are to make such an important decision!? You know nothing about the team! You know nothing about me! And you don't know that I'm sick of trying!"

"Furi-chan…"

"Shut up!" Noa shook him. "Don't you dare talk to me again! I don't want to know anything from you! Have you heard me!?"

Noa went silent. Her jaw was hurting due to the fact that she had been clenching her teeth. Suddenly, she noticed the terrified expression on Jiro's face and she realized what she had done. Noa released his shirt and stepped back. "I… I…" She felt her heart beating fast. What had she just done? She had yelled at a stranger, a boy a year older than her. "I-I'm sorry", she finally mumbled before running away.

Noa got into the changing room and locked the door. She tried to calm down. She felt her heart beating faster and faster and the only thing she wanted to do was scream and make a fuss like a child. She had lost control.

Almost in the dark, she picked up her things and, a few minutes later, she opened the door again. She was expecting to find Jiro on the other side of the door, but he wasn't. She ran towards the gym, but, again, the boy wasn't there anymore. He was gone. Noa felt her eyes filling up with tears and, during all her way home, she cried inconsolably. That was the end of her short adventure in indoor volleyball. She was going to quit.

* * *

 **~See you next time!**


	11. Never ending dream

**A/N: Hello everyone! First of all, thanks for the favs and follows and welcome to all the new readers! I hope you're all enjoying this story. Many things are happening in this chapter, so I hope everything is clear. Anyway, you know you can left you reviews, opinions and suggestions if you want to. All feedback is much appreciated.**

 **Finally, I don't know when I'll be able to update this story. In the next days I'm having some important exams and then I'm having holidays, but I'll try to post the next chapter before July begins.**

 **I do not own Haikyuu or its characters**

* * *

 **CHAPTER TEN**  
Never ending dream

Jiro stared at his friend imploring for some help, but Watanabe Nagisa didn't change his face expression, even though when their noses were almost touching. It was as indifferent as always.

"You're too close", he finally spoke.

Jiro sighed and took a step back, "Come on, Nagi-chan! I need your help!"

"I told you, Jiro-kun, that you were being too nosy. What you have done is inexcusable, so you have to accept the consequences. Don't make me take side for you"

Jiro clicked his tongue. His best friend used such a complicated language for him. He understood what he meant more or less, so he scratched his head. "You know they'll only listen to me if you come. Actually, I think you should speak in my place"

"Don't use me like if I were some kind of toy", Nagisa took his backpack and headed towards the door to leave the classroom. Jiro followed him closely, still trying to persuade him. When the two of them left the room, they caught a bunch of girls sticking their heads through the class door. Although Nagisa didn't pay them any attention and kept walking, Jiro did. All of them started giggling as their cheeks turned red. He, however, stared at his friend and couldn't help but think what made him so attractive.

Watanabe Nagisa was a second-year, but he was already the vice president of the student's council. Everybody knew him, especially girls in Karasuno. He was tall and thin and, although he didn't like sports, he had a well-shaped body. He had flowing peach-blond hair and amber eyes. He was handsome and, since Jiro had known him, he has been able to win the hearts of all females everywhere he goes.

Jiro and Nagisa met when they were at kindergarten. Their parents were neighbors and friends, so Jiro spent most of the time with Nagisa. While Jiro was a lively child, Nagisa was quite the opposite. He was quiet. And they didn't change, not a bit, during all these years.

Jiro didn't have any other friends, only Nagisa. They only had each other, although Jiro was much more open-minded about making new friends. Yet, Jiro knew Nagisa better that anybody. Every girl in Karasuno dreamt about dating Watanabe Nagisa, even a couple of them were brave enough to ask him on a date, but Nagisa's answer was always the same: No. He was so blunt sometimes that even Jiro felt sorry for those poor girls. Nagisa used to tell him that he rejected all those girls because his life was perfect at that moment, but Jiro thought that, actually, his friend was searching for something in particular. He could have all the girls he wanted. Maybe the right one didn't show up yet.

"I know you don't like it, but it's obvious that you are charming. If they see you just standing by my side, they'll say yes without even thinking about it carefully", Jiro insisted.

"Don't use me for you own purposes"

"Well… Actually, it didn't always work. Yesterday, I talked to Furi-chan about you, you know, I told her that I was your friend, so I could introduce you to her". Nagisa looked sideways at his friend. He seemed skeptical, but Jiro kept talking. "I know. It was a bad move. I should stop using you to get anything I want… But you won't believe it. She didn't know you. In fact, she thought you were a girl"

Nagisa stopped in his tracks. Jiro smirked. He had finally caught his friend's attention, but the answer wasn't exactly what he expected. "I guess it's normal. It's a common name for girls"

Jiro sighed, "You are impossible, but I think you should meet her"

"First of all, try to fix everything you've done and apologize to her"

"You're starting to talk like my sister"

Nagisa showed him a light smile and Jiro grinned. Nagisa always looked so serious, but Jiro was the only one who was able to make him laugh. He looked over his shoulder to know if those girls who were spying on them were following them and they were, indeed. He then stared at his friend curiously and smiled. Jiro was sure that those girls would kill only to hear Nagisa's beautiful laughter.

"Okay. You win", Jiro sighed. "I'll talk to them all alone"

"Good luck then"

Nagisa turned left and waved at him while he kept walking without looking back. Jiro clicked his tongue and turned on his heels to walk in the opposite direction. The third-years area was upstairs and he was hoping that the people he wanted to talk to hadn't left yet.

Jiro didn't spend a great night after what happened with Noa. He thought that everything he did, he did it for the team, but, after explaining the whole thing to Nagisa, his best friend had opened his eyes. He had crossed the line. He made his own plans without having anybody in mind and, probably, he had made Noa's burden heavier. He was willing to fix it. He needed to fix it. But, as selfish as he could seem, he wished he could become the female volleyball team's manager. Although he wished that team could compete again as well.

Jiro checked the class number a couple of times and, then, he poked his head round the door. There were already a lot of people in the class. Probably, they were students who preferred to study at high school. Nobody noticed his presence, so he cleared his throat before speaking out loud, "Is Michimiya Yui here?"

Everybody turned around to fix their eyes on him. Jiro smiled and then he spotted a girl with short brown her who was standing up, "It's me"

"Oh! Great!" Jiro went into the classroom and he approached her. He took the girl's hands and shook them eagerly. "My name is Aoyama Jiro. It's a pleasure to meet you, Michimiya-senpai!"

"Huh… Yeah…" Michimiya Yui blushed as everyone in her classroom was staring at them curiously. "May I help you?"

"Of course you can!" Jiro rubbed the back of his neck. "Are you alone? I mean… Are Niimura Yoshino and Nagano Noriko with you? I know you are in different classes…"

"Well, I'm Niimura Yoshino. How do you know our names?" Jiro looked down. A girl who had mid-length pale brown hair was staring at him, still sitting on her chair.

"Can we talk in a more private place, please? It's something important"

The two girls exchanged looks, but then they nodded. Jiro's presence caught everybody's attention and they didn't like to be in the spotlight, so they went out the class to talk in the hallway. As Jiro turned around to face them, the two girls crossed their arms. They didn't like the situation at all.

"As I said, my name is Aoyama Jiro. I'm sixteen and I'm a first-year. I'm so sorry for bothering you, especially when you are studying for your exams, but I have a favor to ask you"

"Oh…" Niimura Yoshino rolled her eyes. "You asked for Noriko as well… Has this something to do with the volleyball team? Because we have already talked to a girl more or less like you and we've already told her th-"

"This has nothing to do with Furi-chan", Jiro cut her off. "Well, not entirely. I mean… I want to be part of the team. I want to be the manager, but she rejected me. Actually, all the team said 'no'. I know Furi-chan is working hard because she wants the team to compete again, but her teammates seem to be making things much more complicated than she thought at first". Jiro made a pause. "Well… That's something I suppose because she hates me now", he smiled sadly.

"That has nothing to do with us", Niimura Yoshino frowned.

"Wait", Michimiya Yui raised her hand to stop her friend from talking. "Keep going"

"I have done something bad. Really bad. I get the team a practice match against Itachiyama Academy"

"Oh", Minishimiya Yui's eyes widened. "That's impressive. They have such a good girls' volleyball team"

"I know, but Furi-chan got mad at me"

"Because the team hasn't got enough members to compete", Niimura Yoshino stated.

"That's right. And that's what I came here. To ask you, no… To beg you to help them"

"Hold on a second… Are you suggesting that we should come back to the team?"

"Not exactly", Jiro shrugged, but Niimura Yoshino gave him a death glare. "Okay… Yes! But it would be okay if you don't want to come back. I was only wondering if you would be willing to just help the team this time"

"Why don't you just call to Itachiyama Academy to cancel it?"

"Because I can't! I've even spoken with the current captain and I promised her that I was going to do anything I could to remember them how much they love volleyball. And I've committed with Itachiyama Academy already".

Michimiya Yui and Niimura Yoshino kept quiet. The former captain looked down and bit her bottom lip. Jiro knew it. She was doubting. "Please", he mumbled.

"That's stupid", Niimura Yoshino spat.

"Come on! It's just one match! Afterwards, you can forget about volleyball if you want to", he stared at Michimiya Yui, but she looked away.

"Let us think about it", she finally murmured.

"What!?" Niimura Yoshino couldn't believe what her best friend said. "Don't you remember how much we suffered after losing the first match of the Interhigh preliminaries"

"I know", Michimiya Yui clenched her fists, "but I think we owe something to the team. Maybe having a practice match against Itachiyama Academy would be a great goodbye. I know they are going to crush us, but I don't think that's the point. They are one of the best teams in Japan"

Niimura Yoshino scratched her head. "You've been acting weird since Furihata Noa tried to persuade us to come back to the team"

"I know…" Michimiya Yui sighed. "It's just… I want to play one more time"

Niimura Yoshino smiled and nodded, "Then it's settled. You were the captain, so whatever decision you make, it'll be fine", she looked at Jiro. "We'll play, but only this time. After that, we don't want to know anything from the volleyball team"

"Really?!" Jiro's eyes sparkled. "This is so great!" The boy jumped full of excitement and he hugged the two girls by surprise.

"Aoyama-kun…" Michimiya Yui mumbled, feeling how her cheeks turned red.

"Sorry, sorry", he smiled sheepishly as he stopped hugging them. "This is going to be great! They're going to freak out!" He yelled, so the two other girls tried to calm him down trying not catch everybody attention. "Anyway, I thought the third-years were three"

"Oh! Yes!" Michimiya Yui smiled. "We are forgetting about Noriko and she is one of the most important players"

Jiro blinked in confusion, so Niimura Yoshino followed, "She is the ace", she smirked. "I think you should start to study how volleyball works", she tapped Jiro's back.

He chuckled. "And where is she?"

"Maybe I can call her", Muchimiya Yui took her phone and searched for the number in her agenda.

"By the way", Niimura Yoshino turned around to face Jiro while her best friend was calling Nagano Noriko, "where and when is the match?"

Jiro grinned, "Don't worry. I have everything planned"

 **…**

Noa looked up, watching how the clouds changed shape. The weather was great, so, after classes, she lay down in the campus grass. She didn't have anything better to do. She wouldn't go to practice.

She was done with volleyball.

Noa sighed. Maybe it was better that way. She couldn't force her teammates to follow her wishes and she didn't prove either that indoor volleyball was her thing. Although that didn't mean she had to give up completely. She glanced at Kageyama. The setter was lying next to her while he tossed the ball over and over again.

"Kageyama, would you toss the ball for me?"

Kageyama grabbed the ball firmly when it fell into his hands and he looked at her raising an eyebrow. Noa giggled. They had spent almost thirty minutes lying in the grass in silence, without saying anything and ignoring the curious glances the students gave them, so Noa guessed that breaking the silence took Kageyama by surprise. "Sure", he finally answered. Noa smiled and got up. So did Kageyama.

"What?" Noa asked when she realized the strange expression on Kageyama's face.

"You're wearing the uniform", he pointed out.

"So what?"

"Skirt", he answered as his cheeks turned red.

Noa smirked and approached to him. "Well, don't look" She touched his cheek playfully with her index finger, trying to tease him. Kageyama huffed and looked away, so Noa giggled. After all, he was going to toss the ball for her anyway.

Kageyama's set-ups were truly amazing. His technic was extraordinary and everything seemed much easier. He was different from Sugawara. But, if she had to be sincere and although she thought Sugawara was adorable and a good setter, Kageyama was much better than the third-year.

"Be patient!" he shouted.

Noa put her hands on her hips as she watched him picking up the ball once again. She wasn't spiking the ball as well as she expected. In fact, she was rushing her moves. "Maybe I'm not being patient, but you have to adapt to the player's style as well". Kageyama groaned, but he stopped when Noa took his arm and squeezed it affectionately. He looked down at her and blinked in confusión feeling his annoyance disappear when he saw her face expression. "Let's continue, okay?" She smiled brightly and he nodded eagerly.

Noa liked spending time with Kageyama, although they didn't talk much. Actually, they didn't talk very often, but he was a completely different person compared to Hinata. The setter was as passionate as his teammate when it came to volleyball, but Kageyama wasn't as loud as Hinata. Noa and Hinata were too alike, so Noa sometimes needed to be with someone like Kageyama.

"Is it true that you are going to give up the team!?"

The ball which Kageyama had just tossed hit Noa's head as she couldn't move when she heard that question. Hinata ran towards them and he jumped again and again between Kageyama and Noa, trying to show how upset he was with Noa.

"Hinata-kun!" Yachi arrived after Hinata. The girl had been running after him, but the orange-haired boy was faster than her.

"Have you told him!?" Noa looked daggers at her friend.

"I'm sorry", Yachi apologized as she tried to catch her breath.

"Wait". Kageyama picked up the ball and stared at Noa. "You haven't told me anything", he frowned, feeling kind of betrayed by the girl.

Noa clicked her tongue, "Yes. I'm quitting because I've realized I was wrong about volleyball"

"What!?" Hinata pointed at her. "That's not true! Why would you change your mind!? You like volleyball and you are good at it!"

"That's not the point, Hinata", Noa sighed. "It's so tiring when you try to get something, but people don't support you"

"We support you!"

Noa grinned, "I know, but my teammates don't. I tried and I failed", Noa rubbed the back of her neck. "We had an argument yesterday and, well, they told me some pretty bad things. I'm just being a burden, so it will be better if I don't show up in the gym never again"

"Noa-san…" Yachi expression saddened. She already knew the whole story because Noa had told her, but she didn't like seeing her friend like that. And Hinata and Kageyama either. The orange-haired boy clenched his fists and he bit his bottom lip. He was searching for something comforting to tell to Noa, but he didn't come up with something.

"Anyway…" Noa smiled broadly. "Have you finished copying Yachi's notes, Hinata?"

Hinata nodded eagerly in response, but his expression changed when Kageyama spoke. "You're too slow!" And that's how they started having an argument as always. Yachi and Noa exchanged glances and laughed.

"Okay, okay". Noa intervened between the two boys. "Are you nervous about the exams? They're tomorrow"

Kageyama and Hinata relaxed and turned around to look at Noa. "A little bit", Hinata confessed. "But if we passed, we'll go to Tokyo!" He added, raising his right fist eagerly in the air.

"That's so cool", Noa sighed. "I wish I could go. I'd like to know how the teams you're going to play against to are"

"Yeah…" Hinata looked up at the sky. They all remained silent, letting their imagination go wild. Kageyama and Hinata already knew Nekoma, so they were truly excited about getting to know better other teams, especially if Karasuno would be heading to Nationals. Their trip to Tokyo was going to be a good exercise to improve their skills and their work as a team.

"Furihata Noa!" Everyone turned around. Noa's eyes widened when she saw the twins, Harada Ayako and Ayaka, running toward her. They seemed really upset. "What are you doing here!?" Ayako yelled at her.

"Huh…" Noa tried to say something, but Ayaka cut her off.

"We had practice! We have already warmed up!" She put her hands on her hips.

"Skipping practice!? Ha! Chizuko won't kill you, but we will"

"I thought you quit, Noa-san", Hinata mentioned.

"What!?" Ayako looked daggers at Noa. "Yeah… Keep dreaming, American girl", she took her by the arm. "You won't leave this team so easily, not if we don't allow it"

"What do you think you are do-"

"Go, go", Ayaka pushed her while Noa tried to defend herself. Noa looked over her shoulder, begging Hinata, Kageyama or Yachi to help her, but they didn't move or say anything. They seemed puzzled by the twins' behavior. Noa didn't know what was going on, but the twins were acting weird, even though they were as harsh as always.

Noa thought her teammates didn't care about her. They made it clear, so why were they doing all that? They told her that they wanted to enjoy volleyball and they couldn't do it if she was around. Maybe they changed their minds, but Noa couldn't help but feel skeptical about it. The twins waited patiently outside the changing room while Noa put her tracksuit on. She really wanted to ask them what was happening, but she preferred to remain silent and she did as they pleased.

When they got into the gym, Noa's eyes widened. Oka Chizuko and Shiraiwa Mayu were already waiting near the gym door and, when they saw her, the two girls smiled brightly. But that wasn't what caught Noa's attention. There were more people inside and they were much older.

"What is this?" Noa mumbled, a little bit nervous.

"Well", Oka Chizuko approached, "as a captain, I can't allow what happened yesterday and I'm sorry". Noa blinked in confusion. "We've been through a lot and we understand your position, but I think you should try to understand how everyone else feel as well. I know you didn't do anything on purpose and I'm sure you're a good person, but that's not how things work here". Noa nodded as her cheeks turned red.

"You can't ask some…" Mayu thought for a few seconds, trying to find the right words.

"Creepy guy", Ayako stated.

Mayu clicked her tongue. That wasn't exactly what she was thinking, but she followed anyway, "You can't ask someone to try to convince us. That was inappropriate and…"

"No, no, no", Noa interrupted the libero. "Oh gosh… You're talking about Aoyama Jiro, aren't you?" Mayu nodded. "I don't know him at all. He told me that he wanted to be our manager, but I explained him that I couldn't make such an important decision"

"Oh"

"I guessed you thought that he was part of my plan, but, seriously, that's not true at all", Noa followed. "I've even spoken to him yesterday". Well, that wasn't exactly true, but Noa thought her teammates didn't need to know the whole story. "He arranged a practice match against Itachiyama Academy's female volleyball team, so I warned him. He has crossed the line"

"He did what!?" The twins said in unison.

"I told him we won't go because we haven't got enough members to compete. The match is his problem, not ours"

"Anyway…" The captain fiddled with her fingers. "We should apologize too and that's why I called the Housewives' Association", Chizuko pointed at the group of women who were already lined up in the court.

"Is this real?" Noa couldn't believe it. She was wrong from the beginning, but she was sometimes too arrogant to admit her own mistakes.

"Of course it's real!" Ayaka patted Noa's back.

"You have to stay on the team", Mayu took Noa's hand and squeezed it affectionately.

"Yeah", Ayako grinned. "Next time, if you skip practice, I'll haunt you". Noa swallowed hard and giggled nervously.

After warming up, Noa could participate in the match. They were only five members, so two women of the association played with them, but, despite that, that was something Noa had been looking for for a long time. Maybe, if she had handled better her wish of getting the team to compete again, there wouldn't have been any misunderstanding between them. Yet, her teammates were showing that they were interested in Noa being part of the team and they thought that granting Noa's whish of playing a practice match was the best way of fitting in.

And it ended up being a good experience. An experience Noa would never forget. She felt grateful and lucky because, for the first time since she had arrived to Japan, she felt part of something and, as weird as it could be, sharing that moment with her teammates was the best part of it. They had still a lot to improve, especially Noa. She should try to get to know better her teammates, but she was going on the right track.

The match against the Housewives' Association wasn't as easy as they thought at first. The women were skillful and they knew what they were doing. They had to endeavor to win the first set against those women, so, during the second set, Chizuko made clear that they should never underestimate their rivals, although they were amateurs.

They needed to improve a lot as a team. Given that Noa hadn't played a single match with her new team, she wasn't used to their dynamic, so she crashed more than once with her teammates. Noa felt ashamed by that, especially because most of the time she invaded their space and, although Ayako was the one who yelled at her when that happened, Mayu and Chizuko tried to cheer her up. As they played more matches together, they were sure that Noa would assume her role as a wing spiker.

"Great match", one of the women said as she shook Chizuko's hand.

The captain nodded and smiled, "Thank you for coming. We have a long way to go, but I think this match has help us to smooth things over", she said while she walked the women to the door after they had picked up their things.

Noa smiled as she sipped some water. Her captain was right. They'll have to work hard in order to be a better team, but they did a lot of progress in just one day. Everything seemed natural at the moment.

"Why are you smiling like a fool?" Ayako was watching her carefully.

Noa jumped a little bit and then giggled, "I feel truly grateful. Thank you so much. This is all I ever wanted. Chizuko is such a great captain"

Ayako furrowed her brow, "Chizuko? We are you senpais, you little runt!" The setter put her right arm around Noa's shoulders and, using her left hand, she ruffled Noa's hair.

"Okay, okay. I get it!" Noa laughed as she tried to get free from Ayako.

"I won't stop until you call me Ayako-senpai!" She chortled. The two girls' behavior made the rest of the team laugh. Finally, Noa gave up and did as Ayako pleased.

Ayako and Tanaka were alike, although the setter was much ruder and she seemed to be upset with everyone. It was hard to tell when she was joking or when she was being serious, but, at that moment, Noa didn't care about it because, for the first time she had met the setter, Noa thought they could get along well despite their differences.

"Knock! Knock!"

The girls turned around when someone knocked the gym door. "Oh no…" Ayako mumbled. "This must be a nightmare". But it wasn't. Aoyama Jiro was coming into the gym, smiling brightly.

"Did you play a practice match? Ahhh… And I missed it!" He jumped excitedly.

"Aoyama-kun", Chizuko stepped forward, "what can I do for you?"

"Actually, you just have to listen to what I'm going to say". The twins rolled her eyes and Noa huffed, but Mayu gave them a death stare and the three girls crossed their arms. Then, Chizuko nodded, so Jiro knew he could continue talking. "I came here to apologize. I know I've been too stubborn and I've invaded your space. I don't know if Furi-chan has told you", Noa felt a shiver running down her spine. God knows how much she hated that nickname, "but I arranged a match against Itachiyama Academy. I should have asked you first, but I'm not going to cancel it. You're going this weekend to Tokyo"

"What!?" Ayaka eyes widened.

"So it was true…" Ayako followed.

"Aoyama-kun, we appreciate your effort, but we can't compete anymore", Chizuko's expression saddened. It was clear that she was wishing to play that practice match, but they couldn't afford it and that made it much more painful than it already was.

"I haven't finished yet", Jiro grinned. He seemed too proud and Noa didn't like it a bit. "Girls, you can come in now!"

The girls' mouths opened. Three more girls came into the gym. Noa knew two of them. They were Michimiya Yui and Niimura Yoshino. The third one was tall, probably the tallest member of the team. She had dark blond hair which was tidied up in a long ponytail and honey-colored round eyes. She had a self-confident aura around her and, although Noa didn't know her, she already admired her.

"Wh-What are you doing here?" Mayu mumbled. The second-years couldn't believe their eyes.

"Jiro-kun begged us", Yui blushed as she remembered the whole conversation, "so we decided to give it a chance. We are not coming back to the team, but we'll help you this time. You don't have the chance of playing against one of the biggest teams in Japan everyday"

Noa's eyes sparkled. "This is so great!" She ran toward the third-years. "My name is Furihata Noa and I'm wing spiker!" She introduced herself, although Yui and Yoshino knew her already.

"I'm Nagano Noriko", the tall third-year simply said. Noa raised her eyebrows as she was expecting more information about her.

"She is our Ace", Yui explained while smiling sheepishly.

The Ace. Noa's cheeks went red. Yes, they would only play with them just one more time, but Noa felt too excited about the news. At that moment, they were a team.

"Jiro-kun, could you please explain the rest of the team what you have told us?" Yui demanded.

"Yeah! Sure!" Jiro blushed a little bit. He rubbed his neck embarrassed, but, when he opened his mouth to speak again, he was interrupted by someone.

"And how are you supposed to compete against Itachiyama Academy if you are so poorly trained?" Noa knew that voice and, although she was seeing it with her own eyes, she couldn't believe Mori Hatsue was standing, arms crossed, a few meters away from them.

"Mori Hatsue", she murmured.

"Who?" Yoshino asked looking at Noa. They needed answers. Who was that woman? Why did Noa know her?

"You haven't talked to them about me?" Mori Hatsue raised an eyebrow.

"Well", Noa scratched her head, "we've been through a lot in just a couple of days", she giggled nervously. "Girls… And boy, I guess… She's Mori Hatsue. I asked her if she wanted to join us as our coach, but she refused my offer"

"May I ask then why are you here?" Jiro glanced at the woman curiously.

Mori Hatsue looked away. "Noa-san seemed committed with the team, so maybe I reconsidered it after watching you play against those women…" She mumbled.

"Are you serious!?" Noa jumped, full of excitement.

"Hold on, you little monkey!" Mori Hatsue spat.

"Little monkey?" Ayako and her twin sister tried not to burst into laughter, but it was really difficult not to do it. Noa looked daggers at them, but she couldn't help but blush. That was how Mori Hatsue used to call her when she was still her mother's friend.

"You looked at me with those puppy eyes and I couldn't resist", the woman put her hands on her hips. "But I'll make things clear! First of all, I don't know anything about volleyball, but I'm an expert when it comes to physical condition and yours is terrible". The girls swallowed hard. Mori Hatsue seemed to be very tough. "If I'm your coach, you'll train hard and I don't want to hear any excuse. Not even from you", she pointed at the third-years. "I haven't seen you play against the housewives, but I guessed your physical condition is as bad as theirs"

"No… We are not going t-"

"We'll see that", Mori Hatsue didn't let Michimiya Yui finish. "We'll have practice tomorrow. I'll test you, so I can prepare a proper plan for each of you. We have a short squad, that's why it's important you are all prepared to resist a whole match. We can't afford many substitutions", Mori Hatsue gave Jiro a card. "You are the manager, aren't you? It has my number written on it. Text me". She headed then to the gym entrance and before leaving, she looked over her shoulder. "I'll see you at eight and you'll explain me later how you are planning to go to Tokyo. Don't disappoint me". Although those last words seemed to be addressed to everyone on that gym, Noa felt Mori Hatsue was especially talking to her.

"What was that?" Yoshino asked a bit puzzled.

"What a woman!" Jiro said, his eyes sparkling and his cheeks turning red.

"You pervert!" Ayako patted his head

"She's fantastic. I promise", Noa said. She was still a little bit confused for what was happening. "She is like a personal trainer. She works for Japan's volleyball national team, for example. She's in charge of the young talents. She makes sure that they get to the team in the perfect condition"

"Whao… She must know a lot of important players", Mayu stated.

"Anyway", Yui clapped her hands, "we have a lot of things to discuss"

All the team nodded. Before speaking, the girls went to the changing room in order to change their clothes and take their backpacks. Afterwards, Noa suggested that they could go to coach Ukai's family store as it was nearby. Besides, it was the only place Noa knew where they could talk without being interrupted. The boys probably wouldn't be there because in a few hours they would be travelling to Tokyo.

When they got to the store, coach Ukai was smoking a cigarette while he read some kind of magazine. As the girls entered, he stood up and put out his cigarette. "Good night, Ukai-san", Noa greeted him, showing a big smile.

"Oh", Ukai scratched his head. "Do I know you, right? You are friends with some members of the team". Noa nodded. "So, what can I do for you, girls?"

Each of the girls bought something to eat, especially Noa and the second-years. They were starving after practice. Then, they left the store and sat on a bench in a nearby park, although Jiro and the twins preferred to remain standing.

"So, what's the big plan?" Ayako asked before she had a bite of her meat bun.

"Well, as Yui-chan has already explained, the third-years are coming to Tokyo only to help us, but it won't be a next time", Jiro answered frankly and the third-years nodded in approval. "I know this is kind of a sudden, but I think it would be a great experience"

"Yeah, that's beautiful, but how are we going to Tokyo?" Noa insisted.

"Good question!" Jiro winked at her. "Someone can give us a lift there. And before you could say anything, there's someone who has already agreed, so there's no problem"

"You are too mysterious about it", Ayako spat and Jiro grinned in response.

"I don't know…" Chizuko hesitated. "This sounds too easy. I mean, yesterday we were having an argument and today, in just a couple of minutes, our senpais want to play one more match. And we even have a coach!"

"You're right", Mayu followed. "It is too good to be real"

"But it is real", Yoshino smiled. "We just want one more chance. After that, the volleyball thing will be over"

"Are you sure about that?" Ayako asked as she crossed her arms. "Can you guarantee that after the match you will be able to forget about volleyball so easily? Chizuko is the captain now, you know"

"I… I know", Yui mumbled. "I haven't decided to help you because I want to be the captain again. It's just that I want to say goodbye to volleyball in a proper way"

"You don't have to be too over-protective with Chizuko-san…" Noriko clicked her tongue.

"O-Okay… That's enough", Chizuko tried to calm things down as she blushed. Noa stared at her curiously. Chizuko was a shy girl, that was for sure, but Noa thought there was much more. She couldn't notice it all by herself, but she was sure that Chizuko had some serious insecurity problems. "Please, continue, Aoyama-kun"

"We have more or less a five hours trip to Tokyo and we should be at Itachiyama Academy at 10:00"

"What!?" Ayaka exclaimed. "We have to leave at 4:00 if we want to arrive on time!"

"I know… I know… But you sometimes have to make some sacrifices…" Jiro rubbed the back of his neck. "We'll meet on Sunday at 4:00 in front of Karasuno's entrance"

"How am I supposed to walk all the way down to high school at 4:00? It's already night!" Noa wasn't very comfortable about it. She used to be a little bit frightened when she had to walk home at night.

"You could sleep over at my house, Noa-san", Mayu suggested. "I live far from here and I'm a bit worried about being all alone in the street at night as well"

"Then, it's settled!" Jiro exclaimed without letting Noa answer. "We are going to Tokyo!"

* * *

 **~See you next time!**


	12. Bonds

**A/N: Finally, chapter eleven is here! I've been changing a few things these days. I mean, I didn't change the plot, but I think I could have used a more accurate vocabulary, so I changed some parts, trying to write the right words.**  
 **By the way, next month I won't be able to upload this story. I'll try to write next chapter as soon as possible, so I can post it at the end of July.** **Reviews and all kind of feedback would be much appreciated.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Haikyuu or its characters**

* * *

 **CHAPTER ELEVEN**  
Bonds

Noa ate the toast she had just prepared in just one bite and she put the empty milk glass in the shrink. Using her palm, she wiped her mouth and she took her sports bag, in which she had put everything she would need to sleep in Mayu's house.

"What are you doing?"

Noa turned around to see her father, arms crossed, watching her next to the kitchen door. Noa almost choked, but she tried to act cool. Like if nothing happened, she walked towards the entrance door. "I have something important to do"

"Today we'll finish the move and Miyoko and Daichi will live with us. I wanted to celebrate it"

"Yeah… That's a good idea dad", Noa snapped her fingers, "but Daichi is in Tokyo, don't you remember? We should wait"

Furihata Hayate was taken aback by her daughter's words. She was right. If Daichi wasn't in the celebration, it was pointless. He scratched his head and, when he looked at his daughter, he realized that she was wearing a tracksuit. He opened his mouth to asked her about it, but she spoke first. "By the way", Noa added, "I'll be sleeping at Shiraiwa Mayu's house. She is my senpai and she invited me. I can ask her for her parent's phone, so you can talk to them if you want to. You know, to know if I'm all right and all that. Okay. Bye!"

"Wh-What!?" Furihata Hayate ran towards the door, trying to stop her daughter. He couldn't understand what was happening. One of her senpais invited his own daughter to spend some time? When did that happen? He opened the house door and, forgetting he was still wearing his pyjamas, he went to the street, but it was already too late. She was nowhere to be seen. His daughter had already left.

 **...**

Noa ran towards high school as fast as she could. That wasn't the best way to explain her father that she wasn't going to spend the weekend with him and Miyoko, but she would eventually think about something to make it up to him. Meanwhile, she was hoping he wouldn't figure out anything about volleyball and everything would be all right.

"Good morning, Noa-san!"

"Good morning…" Noa tried to catch her breath. When she saw her red face, Mayu chuckled and watched her curiously. She didn't know much about Noa. She thought the first-year was a strange girl, but, definitely, she liked her. It was hard to find people as cheerful as Noa.

They went into the gym, where her teammates were already waiting. Mori Hatsue had her arms crossed over her chest, sitting on the bench, while Jiro was finishing putting some cones.

"Good. Now we can start. Just in time", Mori Hatsue checked her watch and, immediately after, she clapped her hands, so everybody gathered around her. At that moment, Noa realized that the third-years were there as well. She thought that, as they weren't officially in the team, they wouldn't show up, so their presence turned out to be a good surprise to Noa. "We'll start off practice warming up running for 20 minutes. Find your own tempo. Afterwards, I've prepared some drills that I'll explain later. They aren't hard to complete, but they'll help me to know how your physical condition is. Last night I spoke to Aoyama-kun and he'll be watching you carefully as well because he'll be taking notes. Are you okay with that?" Everyone nodded, so Mori Hatsue blew a whistle and they started to run.

Noa had always heard, thanks to her mother, that Mori Hatsue was a tough woman and, at that moment, she knew that her mum wasn't wrong at all. Noa couldn't stop thinking about Mori Hatsue's words at the beginning of the practice. _I've prepared some drills_. _They aren't hard to complete_. That was all a lie. Noa was used to exercising at the beach and doing hard training, but what Mori Hatsue had prepared was in a different level. She had spent a lot of time without having a serious practice, so she was having difficulties in completing all drills, what meant that her teammates must be having worse.

As they finished the last drills, Jiro was waiting for them with some water. Noa took a sip of her bottle and she sat on the bench. She took a towel and wiped some sweat from her face. When she looked up, her teammates were lying on the court, feeling exhausted because of the effort they made. Noa sighed. They still had a long way to go.

"You've been all fantastic!" Jiro tried to cheer them up, although he only got a grunt by Ayaka that made him laugh.

"It's good if you try to encourage them, but don't lie to them", Mori Hatsue watched them raising an eyebrow. "You are pathetic, but I'm glad you didn't surrender"

"Are you sure those were the easiest drills?" Ayako asked.

"I am, so you can imagine how terrible your physical condition is". Mori Hatsue ordered them to stand up and gather around her again. She wanted to talk to them. "I'll prepare special diets and drills for each of you. That's my job and I'm doing it for free, so I'm expecting you to take them seriously". She made a pause. "I wasn't surprised to see that Noa-san is the only one who has been closer to what I expected due to the fact she has been competing in a high level recently, but the rest of you have a long way to go. You don't have any resistance and that's really important if you want to compete"

"We do this because we want to play only one more time", Yoshino mentioned.

"I already know that, but, at least, you should face Itachiyama Academy. I don't know the girls' volleyball team, but, if it's as good as the boys' team, it wouldn't be an easy rival. You represent Karasuno and you should take all matches seriously, although they are mere practice. This is not just a game"

The third-years exchanged looks. That wasn't a game for them either, they just wanted to say goodbye to volleyball properly, playing against one of the best female volleyball teams in Japan. Represent Karasuno? That wasn't even in their initial plans, if they were completely sincere, but, at that moment, they were starting to think about the match in a different way.

"I don't know much about volleyball, but I've seen how my boys practice", Mori Hatsue added, "and I need to know in what position you play. After that, you'll split up in couples and you'll play some matches, so I can choose who will be in the line up tomorrow"

"Are you coming with us?" Noa asked, a bit surprised.

"Of course I am! I'm the coach"

Noa's eyes widened, but, finally, she smiled. Mori Hatsue was as committed as her and that's all that mattered.

Her teammate in the practice matches they played was Mayu. Although Mayu was the libero and none of them was very skillful when it came to set-ups, Noa thought that Mayu was the member of the team who understand her better. Mayu was quieter and she knew how to handle Noa's behavior when needed. On the other hand, they understood each other well and that was really important.

The other couples were Yui-Yoshino, Noriko-Chizuko and the twins. The goal was simple: when the first team reached 10 points, Mori Hatsue blew the whistle and they had to change opponents. For every match they lost, at the end of the practice each team should complete ten squats.

When Mori Hatsue told them it was enough after ten matches, Mayu and Noa should do thirty squats. A reasonable number given that Yui and Yoshino did sixty squats each. To Noa's surprise, Noriko and Chizuko turned out to be a powerful team. Chizuko used to be a shy girl, but, when she was playing, she was a different person and Noriko was an ace who knew how to adapt to every set-up, it didn't matter how bad it was.

"I don't know how we are going to compete tomorrow", Michimiya Yui stretched her muscles. "I don't think I'll be able to move. My whole body will be stiff"

"Then, make sure you are stretching properly", Mori Hatsue advised her as she kept walking between them. When she said that, Noa, who was helping Mayu to stretch her muscles, pushed her teammate harder, although she complained. "I recommend you to have a cold water shower, although a bath with iced water would be much better. That would help"

"Seriously, we don't want to catch a cold", Ayako spat.

"According to what I've heard, there isn't proof enough to determine if that's true, but a lot of athletes have iced water baths in order to reduce the muscular pain", Jiro added. "It's pretty common amongst soccer players after matches"

"How do you know that, Aoyama-kun?" Yui asked.

"Ah… That's true… You mentioned that you used to play soccer, didn't you?" Noa said while she changed position with Mayu. She stretched her muscles while her teammate helped her.

"I can't believe you remember that, Furi-chan!" Jiro's eyes sparkled. "That's right! I was forward!"

"And why do you want to be our manager? I mean, you should be in the soccer team instead", Chizuko followed.

"You must be awful", Ayako grinned and her sister giggled.

"That's not true", Jiro stuck out his tongue. "I was injured and I can't play soccer anymore and, by the way, I want to be your manager because you are the only team in high school which hasn't got one"

"Oh! You offend me!" Noa smirked. "You told me you admired me and that's why you wanted to join in…" Noa teased him.

"But I wanted to make a good impression, Furi-chan!" Jiro moaned, but, then, winked at her. "I love you all the same"

"Take it easy, Romeo…" Noriko mumbled.

Jiro chuckled. "You have nothing to worry about! I'm not interested in you, girls". They exchanged looks and shrugged, what made Jiro laugh. Noa clicked her tongue and sighed. Aoyama Jiro was the weirdest boy she had ever met.

That morning, they all had lunch together. It was a good way to get to know everybody better and, although Noa was the last one to join in the group, everyone was trying to make her feel comfortable. They rest of the team knew each other for more than a year, but that distance that separated them wasn't being a problem to be part of the group's dynamic.

Jiro spent some time with them after Mori Hatsue left as well. The boy, more than a manager, had become the coach's assistant. After practice, she gave him some files he should complete with information about every player. Jiro seemed to be taken his role as a manager seriously, so he used that time with the girls to ask them all information Mori Hatsue demanded, like the date of birth or the weight. That kind of information didn't go unnoticed and Jiro couldn't resist to make some comments which led to hilarious situations. Although Jiro seemed a pervert to everyone at first (and, well, let's be honest, the girls still thought that), they started to get used to his presence.

Little by little and without nobody noticing, some bonds began to form. They were still weak and they couldn't be seen either, but the foundation of something bigger was being built up.

Noa put her elbow on the table and rested her head on her palm. "I wonder if Hinata and Kageyama passed", she said bluntly. Her teammates looked at her and Noa realized she had said that thought out loud. "Oh. Sorry. I didn't mean to say that out loud"

"Hinata and Kageyama are in the volleyball team, aren't they?" Yui asked, so Noa nodded. "Daichi-san had talked to me about them. He says that the first-years are really good, but I haven't got the chance yet to watch them play"

"They are amazing", Noa smiled. "I'm sure that this year they are going to make it to the Nationals"

"That's easy to say", Yoshino said. "The teams they'll have to play against to aren't easy to beat"

Noa smirked. She didn't know anything about the volleyball teams in Japan, but everyone repeated all over again how difficult was going to be for Karasuno to go to Nationals. She was guessing that one of those teams was Shiratorizawa and, after meeting the captain and ace, if every player was like him, well, beat those teams was almost impossible.

Noa shook her head 'no'. She was going to be positive. She had faith in Hinata, Kageyama, Daichi, Yamaguchi… She had faith in all of them and she hoped that Hinata's enthusiasm and effort were rewarded.

"By the way, now you mention Hinata and Kageyama..." Chizuko searched for something in a bag. She took something and, then, she gave it to Noa. The first-year felt her hands shaking. She already knew what it was. "We are playing our first practice match with you as a member of the team, so I asked personally for you uniform". Noa watched the jersey carefully. It was different from the boys' volleyball team uniform. Instead of being black with orange details, the girls' volleyball team uniform was dark blue with white details. "I chose the number ten because, well, you seem to get along well with Karasuno's number ten, Hinata I think"

"It's perfect, Chizuko". The twins gave her a death stare. Yeah. The honorific. "Chizuko-san"

"That's so cool!" Jiro approached to have a better look. "The number ten is really important in sports! Maradona or Pelé wore it!"

"Who?" Noriko asked puzzled.

Jiro opened his mouth to answer the ace, but Noa spoke first. "The colors are different", she remarked.

"Yes", Yui replied. "The girls' volleyball team has been recently created. I mean, when I started high school it already existed, but it was formed when the boys' volleyball team made it to Nationals"

"Thanks to the Small Giant?" Noa demanded, so the girls nodded. She had already heard the story. Hinata told her about it. She didn't know anything about the Small Giant, but he seemed to be everywhere.

When the sky started to turn orange, they came to the conclusion that they should be heading home. It had been an exhausting day and they needed to rest because at 4 o'clock in the morning they should be going to Tokyo, where they'll spend only one day. It was going to be an intense weekend, but everyone thought that playing against one of the best girls' volleyball teams in Japan was worth it.

"I should call my dad", Noa said nonchalantly as she walked with Mayu towards the libero's house.

"Doesn't he know that you are here?"

"More or less… I told him that I was staying with you this weekend and I would tell your parents to call him, if that's how he's going to be less concern about this"

Mayu nodded, "Okay. I'll tell my parents when we arrive". Mayu watched Noa curiously. The first-year was looking down; like she was hiding something else. "Does your father know that you are going to Tokyo tomorrow?" Noa didn't answer, so Mayu clicked her tongue. "Does he even know that you play volleyball?" Noa didn't say anything, so Mayu stopped in her tracks. That was too much. If her father didn't know what his own daughter was doing, Noa could put everyone in an awkward position. "You have to tell him", she burrowed her frown.

"I know. I know. And I'll tell him", Noa made a pause, "but not today. And not tomorrow. That's for sure"

"The longer you keep the secret, the worse his reaction would be"

"You don't know my father. He's scary. He wouldn't understand, so I'm just thinking in a good way to tell him. I know what I'm doing". Noa smiled. "Seriously"

Mayu sighed and kept walking. It didn't take long until they arrived to Mayu's house. The libero lived in a nice two-storey house which had a beautiful balcony full of flowers. When Mayu opened the door, a big brown dog ran towards the girl, to greet her. Mayu stroked it eagerly and, suddenly, the dog noticed Noa's presence. She wasn't good at dealing with animals, so she smiled nervously, expecting the dog to bark at her, but it didn't. It jumped and licked Noa's face.

"Sit, Mina! Sit!" Noa took a step back and the dog sat, following the orders. A short-haired woman peeped her head in and smiled. "Welcome home! You must be Furihata Noa-san"

"Y-Yes! Thanks for letting me stay!" Noa bowed her head.

"It's an honor meeting you. Mayu talks a lot about you"

"Mum!" The libero's cheeks turned pink.

Mrs. Shiraiwa giggled. "You must be tired. Take a bath and we'll have dinner"

"Noa, you go first", Mayu twirled to talk to her. "Give me your father's number"

"Oh! Yeah!" Noa wrote the phone number in a piece of paper and gave it to Mayu. While the libero's mum talked to Noa's father on the phone, Mayu showed her where the bathroom was, where she lent her some towels.

Following Mori Hatsue's advise, Noa took a cold water shower. Apparently, that was good for the muscles, but she cursed her own coach. That was a torture. She had never felt like finishing having a shower so quickly, so it only took her five minutes more or less. She was just hoping that all that suffering was worth it and, the following day, she would feel better.

Noa went downstairs. She heard some voices coming from the kitchen. She didn't know Mayu for so long, so she wasn't comfortable at all. The situation was little bit weird for her.

"Ah… You are here", Mayu's mother was setting the table. When she remarked Noa's presence, a man who was hidden behind the newspaper, watched her curiously.

"Ni-Nice to meet you, sir", Noa mumbled.

Mayu's father was a strong man. He was short, but broad-shouldered. He hadn't got much hair, but he had indeed a thick moustache. "Furihata Noa, right?" The man asked as he pointed with his index finger at a chair next to Mayu's, so Noa took a seat. "Mayu told me that you come from the United States"

"Yeah… More or less… I was born in Tokyo, actually"

"Is it Japan very different from the United States?"

"Dad, stop the questioning"

"It's just a conversation…"

"But I know you and I know what you are planning"

Mayu's father grinned, but he followed anyway. "What position do you play?"

"Wing spiker"

"Specialty?"

"I-I don't know" Was she actually good at something in volleyball?

"She is good at cross spikes and she has a powerful jump serve", Mayu helped her.

"Whao… A powerful jump serve? Really? I'm impressed then", Mr Shiraiwa made a pause to sip some wine. "Mayu told me that you can master almost all positions because you used to play beach volleyball"

"Well, it's a bit different from indoor volleyball. It's curious because the court is smaller in beach volleyball, but I'm having some trouble now when it comes to controlling my strength. I guess it is due to the sand factor or… whatever. Now that I'm saying it out loud, it sounds stupid", Noa blushed.

Mayu's father laughed, "Maybe you just want to do all perfect in all of a sudden"

Noa blinked a couple of times and looked at Mayu. "My father used to play volleyball as well", her teammate explained. "He was the libero, just like me. So I guess he knows what he's talking about"

"Of course I am!" Mayu's father smiled. "I remember how my captain was. He wanted to do everything. Spikes, receives, dives, blocks… And that limited him during matches. At the end, he learned to rely on his teammates and everything went better. He even became one of the best players in the prefecture when I was young"

Noa thought about it. Rely on her teammates. She frowned. She thought she already did that, but she guessed at that moment that she was completely wrong. If she wasn't relying on her teammates, then, what she could do to change that? She scratched her head in confusion. She wasn't used to playing in a team formed by more than two people. It wasn't Lizzie and Noa anymore. There were more people now, so she guessed that what she did when she played with Lizzie couldn't be useful in that case.

After dinner, Mayu prepared a futon next to her bed. The libero's room was very girlish. The furniture was white and the headboard was made of wrought iron. The room was very classy, a style Noa couldn't think the libero would like when she first met her.

"Sorry about my father. He wants to know everything about everybody. He gets on my nerves", Mayu groaned.

Noa smiled. "It's fine". She got into the futon and closed her eyes, trying to get some sleep.

"Hey, Noa-san…" Noa opened her eyes as Mayu spoke. "Do you think the third-years would like to join in again?"

"I don't know"

"It's not like I don't want to, but… What would happen with Chizuko? She is the captain now. If Yui-san joined in again, she would be the captain"

"May I ask you something?" Mayu sat up on her bed and looked down, where Noa was sleeping. "Why did you choose Chizuko…-san as a captain? I mean… I'm not saying she isn't suitable. I don't know her enough, but, I don't know… It's like…" How could she say it, so Mayu, as Chizuko's friend and teammate, didn't get upset with her?

"It's like if she lacks some self-confidence?" Noa looked at Mayu, surprised. That was exactly what she was thinking. The libero sighed. "We already know that, but Chizuko is a good person. She tries to understand how we feel, she cares about us and she takes care of us as well. She is like the team mum and that's why we thought she would be perfect for that role, even Yui-san agreed. She might be easily influenced, but I guess that's why we have the twins in our team, so nobody can take advantage of her"

"The twins are always keeping an eye on her"

"It's normal. They knew each other since school and they are friends since then. Ayako is the most overprotective of Chizuko, especially since she got a boyfriend"

"Chizuko-san has a boyfriend!?" Okay. That was brand new information.

"Yes. He studies in Shiratorizawa. He plays in the baseball team. They went to the same school, so they knew each other since then and she told him about her feelings when they finished middle school. That's when they started dating"

"Wait, wait… She was the one who declared her love to him!?"

"Surprised?" Mayu chuckled. "Chizuko might be shy, but she knows when she needs to be brave. She doesn't like to have any regrets. That's why she did it"

Noa stared at the ceiling. She wasn't mistaken at that moment. She didn't know anything about her teammates. If Chizuko was such a determined person in certain circumstances, that meant that under the twins' shield there was much more. But, what kind of secrets did Mayu keep?

"Mayu…-san, do you like someone?" Noa asked innocently, but she didn't get an answer. She stood up to check her, but the libero was already sleeping. Noa smiled and left the room. Noa sat on the hallway floor. Despite of the hard work, she didn't feel like sleeping. Not yet.

She stared at her phone screen for a while. She didn't have any messages from Hinata, Kageyama or Yachi, so she hoped everything was okay. She checked her contacts numbers, searching for her father's number. Mayu was right. She should talk to him, but she changed her mind for a moment when she read Daichi's name on her phone screen. She would call her father later.

 **…**

"Shut up, everyone, and go to sleep!" Daichi ordered, looking daggers at Nishinoya and Tanaka. Both second-years got into their futons quickly and Karasuno's captain turned off the lights. He needed to rest after all effort he had made during their practice matches. They didn't win any of them, but it didn't matter to him. Winning wasn't their goal at that moment. They had to grow as a team.

Suddenly, a dim light lighted up the room. Someone was calling him. He grabbed his phone and, when he read the name on the screen, he furrowed his brow. "Is everything okay?" Suga muttered when he saw Daichi's look on his face.

"Yeah. I have to take this phone call". Daichi stood up, and, in silence, he left the room to not to bother anyone, although the rest of his teammates had noticed it. "Moshi, moshi"

"Daichi?" Noa's voice sounded innocent.

"Are you okay?" Daichi asked, a bit worried.

"Yeah… I'm fine. I just… I just needed to talk to you. I was wondering if you're having fun in Tokyo"

Daichi thought at first that it was weird the fact that Noa was calling him, but, a few seconds later, he smiled. It was a nice surprise after all. "Yes. Although this is exhausting. How is everything going?"

"Well… We are officially living together! My father wanted to celebrate it, but I told him to wait until you are back"

"Ahhh… That's weird…" Daichi scratched his head, although Noa couldn't see him. "I'll have to get used to living with a girl…"

"Hey! And what's wrong about that!? You know, I'm the perfect company. You'll love me"

"We'll see that. For example, when you take over the bathroom every morning"

"Sure, sure. And what about you, huh? Maybe you snore when you sleep!"

"What!? I-I don't know!" Noa laughed and he finally smiled. They went silent for a couple of seconds until he spoke again. "Hinata and Kageyama are here"

"Really!? Ahh… That's a relief. I'm so happy for them!"

"They're enjoying this so much. You know how they are", Noa giggled. "How about you? Hinata told me that you were quitting"

"Well… Hinata was right, but I'll stay on the team. I have big news! We're going to Tokyo in a few hours! We'll play a practice match against Itachiyama Academy!"

"What?"

"And the third-years are coming! We even have a coach! And a manager, I guess…"

"When did that happen?" Daichi blinked in confusion. The last time they had spoken, Noa was still assuming her role as a wing spiker. Everything seemed normal, but then Hinata explained him that Noa wasn't having a good time playing volleyball anymore and, at that moment, she was telling him the opposite.

"Everything is going really fast. Apparently, the third-years aren't joining, but we'll see. It's a long story, so I'll tell you at home"

"At home… I like that", Daichi smiled. "By the way, how long are you going to be in Tokyo?"

"Only tomorrow"

"Whao… That's going to be tiring"

"I know…" Noa sighed. "Anyway, I need to hang up because I'm in Mayu's house, but I'm glad we have talked"

"Yeah… Me too", he replied, not daring to ask why she was sleeping in the libero's house.

"Good night, Daichi"

"Good night"

Daichi stared at his phone screen for a few more seconds, although Noa had already hang up. Without noticing, a slight smile formed on his face. Finally, he turned around and he went into the room again. Everybody seemed to be already sleeping, although Daichi was sure that they were only pretending.

"Suga", he whispered, trying to figure out if his friend was still awake. The gray-haired boy replied with a 'hum'. "Remember me that I have to speak tomorrow morning to Ukai-san. It's important". Daichi closed his eyes and Suga opened them. The setter sat up to watch him in confusion. Who the hell had he been talking on the phone?

* * *

 **~ See you soon!**


	13. Tokyo

**A/N: First of all, thank you so much! I got lots of favorites and follows since I've posted chapter eleven, so THANK YOU! And thanks to Rhilliane and Luna for their reviews. Your opinions are always much appreciated. I'm so glad you are all liking the relationship between Noa and Daichi and it'll keep growing stronger in the next chapters. Besides, it makes me really happy that you even find the girls' volleyball club interesting now. Many things are happening in chapter twelve. I want to explain something, however, but I'll do it at the end of the chapter.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Haikyuu or its characters**

* * *

 **CHAPTER TWELVE**  
Tokyo

Noa and Mayu were the first to arrive to Karasuno's entrance door. Little by little, the rest of the members of the team arrived, including Mori Hatsue. The two girls greeted their teammates eagerly trying to ignore their sleepy faces, although Noriko only yawned as a response. Yet, Jiro was nowhere to be seen.

"That idiot has been playing us for fools all the time", Ayako crossed her arms.

"Don't say that…" Chizuko smiled at her, trying to make Ayako feel better, but the setter groaned in response.

Noa looked both sides of the road after checking her watch. It was half past four and Jiro hadn't arrived yet. She sighed. She had never wished so hard to see him. Just like Ayako, she feared that everything was a lie, that he had been playing with them all the time and that, now, they had to go back home, feeling ashamed for being manipulated and tricked.

"Look!" Yoshino pointed with her index finger at the right side of the road. Everyone peeped in to have a better view of what was going on. In the distance, they spotted the lights of a vehicle. It seemed to be like a minibus which, to everyone's relief, stopped in front of the high school entrance. When the door opened, Jiro got off the minibus and showed them a bright smile, but it only made the twins frown.

"You are late!" Ayako yelled.

"We already thought that you weren't coming", Yui added.

"Sorry, sorry", the boy scratched his head, a bit ashamed. "It took us longer than we expected"

"Who is going to take us to Tokyo, by the way?" Mayu asked curiously. Jiro had been trying to keep it as a secret and it was about time to know who was the driver.

The driver door opened and, from behind the vehicle, a gorgeous young woman showed up. Everyone fully opened their mouths, astonished by her beauty. The wind rushed through her long blond hair as she walked towards them. She laid her amber eyes on them and, finally, the corner of her thick lips lifted up in a kind smile. "My name is Watanabe Aimi and I'm your savior today". She was like a model. Tall, beautiful, grace… It was impossible not to look at her. "Nice to meet you"

"Did you say Watanabe?" Ayako asked, blinking several times.

"Yes!" Jiro replied. "She is Nagi-chan's older sister! But she's like my onee-san as well"

"Jiro begged me to help him, so I couldn't say no", the girl ruffled Jiro's hair making him laugh. "Jiro is like a little brother to me"

"Well, we can talk later about it, but we should get going", Mori Hatsue clapped her hands to catch everyone's attention. "We are already late. You could use the next hours to have some sleep. I know it will be difficult, but, at least, try to relax a little bit, okay?" Everyone nodded and started to get on the minibus.

Nobody said nothing during the journey. Everyone was too nervous and anxious for what was awaiting for them that day. They didn't have enough practice together and they didn't prepare the match to face specifically Itachiyama Academy. The only thing they had done was being texted by Mori Hatsue. She wanted to know how far they could get, but, at the end, no one settled the bar high, so they weren't expecting anything big from that practice match. Yet, they were feeling excited for being all together on the court, competing against one of the best teams in Japan. That's why they believed everything was going to be worth it.

 **…**

Noa tried to open her eyes when she felt somebody moving her body. "Wake up, Noa-san!" She turned her head to see Mayu's smiling face. "We are already in Tokyo!"

At some point, Noa felt asleep. When she woke up, she was so confused that she had even forgot where she was, but, when Mayu remembered her their trip to Tokyo, her mind cleared up. The minibus was still in motion, but they were already able to see Tokyo's magnificence. Noa twirled to look at Mayu again and she found out how the rest of their teammates were gathered around them, admiring the astonishing skyscrapers of the capital through the window.

It's been a long time since Noa went to Tokyo for the last time, the city where she was born and raised until she was six, when her parents got divorced. Despite that bad memory, Noa kept some other beautiful moments which made her feel a certain affection for the capital. Her grandparents still lived there and, although her grandmother was a complicated woman, she still remembered her delicious food and the afternoons she spent in the garden, watching for hours how his grandfather made those spectacular origami figures.

During thirty more minutes, more or less, they wandered until they arrived to a huge building in the middle of a wide street.

"Is it Itachiyama Academy?" Yoshino asked while the rest couldn't help but open their mouths.

"Whao… It's awesome" Noriko mumbled.

They could only see the main building, but they could imagine that the campus was much bigger. The huge railings which surrounded the campus were opened widely, which meant that they were already waiting for them, and the lawn, which was perfectly mowed, stretched as far as their eyes could see.

Little by little, they got off the minibus. In front of the entrance, a man in his thirties who wore glasses was already waiting for them. His tracksuit showed them that he was a member of Itachiyama's female volleyball team. "Welcome to Tokyo. You are from Karasuno, aren't you?"

"Nice to meet you. I'm Mori Hatsue, the coach", she bowed her head and everyone followed. "Thank you for allowing us to be here"

"Bandou Ichiro, coach assistant. Pleasure", he bowed as well. "Please, follow me"

The man guided them through the campus for several minutes. While Mori Hatsue talked to him, the rest of the team kept silent, staring from one side of the campus to another. Noa didn't have the opportunity to visit many Japanese high schools, but she could assure that Karasuno was one of the most modest high schools in Japan. Shiratorizawa and Itachiyama were ostentatious and showed how much power they had, what made them leading high schools in Japan.

When they arrived to the gym, everything was settled for the match. However, Bandou Ichiro guided them towards their changing rooms, where they could change clothes and talk about the practice match details. In fact, they were speechless. They barely had a good changing room in Karasuno and Itachiyama had two, one of them for the visiting team.

After they left their backpacks and went back to the gym, Itachiyama's team was already warming up in one side of the court. There weren't many members or, at least, that's what Noa thought when she noticed they were ten. However, she was curious about it because she thought it was weird that a school which had such an important girls' volleyball team had only a few members. Yet, she preferred not to think so much about it and she focused on warming up with her teammates.

"Furihata Noa…" The Karasuno team was doing some drills when they noticed three girls approaching. They were wearing Itachiyama's tracksuit, but they weren't in the group who was warming up for the match. One of them, the taller one who had her black hair tied in a braid, was the one who spoke. "It's been a long time". Everyone turned around to stare at Noa. The first-year grimaced, so the Itachiyama girl furrowed her brow, kind of pissed off. "Don't you remember me? It was a year ago in an international beach volleyball competition…"

"Yes. I remember". Noa had to think carefully, but she did remember her. They met in a competition which took place in California a year ago. People of different ages from all around the world went to the United Stated to compete and their teams reached the final. "You are Okuma Ryo", Noa smiled gently. "We played a good match, didn't we?"

"Well, it was a good match for you. That's for sure", Okuma pressed her lips into a thin line. "You won that match"

"Yes, that's true, but you were such a good opponent"

Okuma chuckled. "Are you kidding me? You crushed us! You beat us like if we were insects. We weren't able to stop you, so it was obvious that you were going to win, but you didn't stop. Not even for a second. You beat us repeatedly. You knew that we were weak, but, even so, you kept playing at the same level. You enjoyed that"

"That's not tr-"

"Save those words for someone who is interested in them", Okuma cut her off. "I felt destroyed. I even quitted beach volleyball, but I decided to give indoor volleyball a try. And now I hear that you are in Japan, playing indoor volleyball too. What a coincidence!" Okuma grinned.

"We can play a rematch, then. If you want to"

"Oh no", Okuma smirked. "I'm not going to play against such a pathetic team as Karasuno. Do you really think that we are going to lose our time with a team like yours? You'll play against the second team"

Noa felt a stabbing pain in her stomach. Second team? She couldn't believe it. That seemed to amuse Okuma and her friends, who burst into laughter. Noa turned her head to realize that the rest of her teammates were staring at them, their face expressions were illegible. Jiro was amongst them. When he heard Okuma's words, his eyes widened and the ball he was grabbing fell from his hands and rolled towards the other side of the court. Noa didn't know what to say, but, at that moment, she felt like kicking Jiro's face for acting so recklessly once again. He was the one who spoke to Itachiyama in the first place. That practice match wouldn't be a proper goodbye for the third-years.

"When my senpais told me that you were in the team, I begged them to accept the offer. I'm looking forward to see how you get along with an element which is not your precious beach sand", Okuma put her hands on her hips, being arrogant. "I must admit that you disappoint me. I expected more from you. Seeing someone of your talent hanging out with…"

Noa took a step forward, willing to face Okuma. She didn't want to hear any other word from her, especially if it was meant to hurt the rest of the team. She stopped, however, when she felt someone's hand on her shoulder. "The match is going to start, Noa-san". It was Yui. "Don't forget that the coach wants to talk to us before the match begins"

Noa glanced at Okuma and, finally, she turned around to join her teammates. None of them said anything, they didn't even look at her, what made Noa felt a lump in her throat.

Mori Hatsue crossed her arms over her chest. If she heard the whole conversation, it was impossible to know because she was acting normal. "Choosing a line up hasn't been an easy task, even though the only condition to play is that Noa-san must be playing from the start. That's why I came to the conclusion that I should leave Harada-san on the bench. We already have two setters and this is the last match for the third-years, so I guess Niimura-san should be the setter this time". Ayaka tapped her twin sister's back, but Ayako didn't bat an eyelid. "We haven't prepared this match properly, so we don't know how Itachiyama plays, but I want you to enjoy this moment. Play the best you can and try to do things you aren't brave enough to do in other circumstances. Okay?"

They all nodded to gather around Chizuko, who held out her hand. The rest of the team, Jiro included, followed her, holding out their hands as well in a circle. "Karasuno…"

"FIGHT!" They shouted in unison as they raised their hands in the air.

When everyone lined up, they waited for Itachiyama's serve after the referee blew the whistle, but Yui received it easily. Noriko sent the ball towards Yoshino and she made such a fantastic dump shot which confused the other team. That was Karasuno's first point.

"That's the third-years for you!" Jiro shouted excitedly from the bench.

It was only a point, but Noa couldn't help but feel a certain pride, although she was feeling that Itachiyama was underestimating them. However, Noa chose again not to think about it. She was playing a match with the third-years and that was something she wanted to enjoy. On the other hand, it was obvious that they needed to improve a lot, especially when it came to coordinate their moves, but they were facing Itachiyama, even though they were playing against the second team.

Noa felt powerful and supported by all her teammates. At first, everything was being normal. She got some points doing a couple of cross spikes the other team wasn't able to stop and she even had the chance to show how great her jump serves could be (especially when she managed to control her strength). On the other hand, the first team of Itachiyama was watching the practice match in the stands. Noa caught a glimpse of Okuma's face, who smirked. That's when Noa felt that something wasn't right.

They were making fun of them. Just like how Okuma had felt when Noa won the match they played a year ago. And that was her personal revenge.

Suddenly, the Itachiyama girls, who seemed lost during the match, started to score points. One after another. Relentlessly. Noa's reflexes nor Mayu's as the libero were enough to stop their attacks. They were beaten repeatedly. They were exhausted. Moreover, Noa had surrendered. She looked at the scoreboard only to feel much worse about herself, if that was even possible.

They lost the first set and they were going to lose the second one. One more point and all their suffering would end.

"We haven't lost yet!" Yui yelled.

Noa turned her head to look at the former captain. Her face was red, she was sweating and her bottom lip was trembling, but her eyes showed determination. She still believed that they could win. "We haven't finished yet!" The third-year added.

Noa glanced at the rest of her teammates. All of them were ready to receive the ball and they seemed to be concentrated on the match, like if it was about to start. Noa bit her bottom lip. She didn't want to play anymore. She was done for the moment. She wanted desperately that match to finish because that only meant that her teammates were mentally stronger. Much stronger than her. And she couldn't handle that situation.

One of the Itachiyama's wing spikers served the ball perfectly. Noa followed its path in the air, but she didn't move. However, her eyes widened when she saw how Mayu's hand prevented the ball from touching the floor. The ball lifted in the air again. Yoshino ran to toss it and Noriko hit it hardly, trying to send it right into the corner. Yet, Itachiyama's libero managed to reach the spike and the setter tossed the ball quickly to one of the middle blockers. When the girl hit the ball, Noa realized that it was flying her way. She cursed herself because she had made a false move and, although she stretched her arms to receive the ball, she couldn't do it properly. The ball hit her arms and it landed outside the court.

They lost.

Noa didn't move as her eyes were fixed on the floor. Once again, her receives were the main problem. She couldn't do anything. They even didn't get the chance of winning. She scored some points thanks to her cross spikes and jump serves, but they weren't enough. She should work harder to get stronger.

"Noa-san, we have to line up". Noa jumped a little bit when Mayu spoke to her. As the libero told her, she lined up with the rest of her teammates and bowed her head to the rival team and then to the referee of that practice match. After that and without paying attention to her teammates glances, she left the gym in silence. She didn't feel like seeing nor talking to anyone.

She sat in a near curb and dug her head between her legs, wishing to disappear from the world. She was pathetic for thinking that the third-years would change their minds playing that match. It had been a failure, they were beaten repeatedly and, to top it all, if the second-years were feeling as disappointed as her, she was sure they wouldn't want to know anything from volleyball. At the end, all her plans, everything, was a bad idea.

"You should put your jacket on or you'll catch a cold"

Noa looked up. Jiro was standing in front of her, holding her tracksuit jacket and a bottle of water.

"Get out of my face", Noa stood up. She felt like being alone. Why couldn't that airhead understand it?

"I'm sorry". Noa, who was walking away, stopped. "I'm sorry I've arranged all this"

"You say you are sorry!?" Noa approached to him and shoved him, feeling furious. "We knew that they were going to win, but this was too much! We played against the second team! They weren't even reserves! And, to top it all, they mocked us because even they are better than us! You can't arrange a match without thinking about the consequences!"

"I… I can talk to rest of the team and…"

"It's better if you don't talk. Don't say anything!"

"What's going on here?" Watanabe Aimi was staring at them with her brow furrowed and her hands on her hips.

"Nee-chan!" Jiro blinked surprised for seeing her there. How much did she hear? "It's nothing. Everything is alright", Jiro showed a fake smile, but, when he turned around to talk to Noa again, the first-year wasn't there anymore. She was gone. Jiro lowered his head and sighed.

"Well, I really think you should talk to them", Jiro looked up to stare at Aimi. "You must tell them how you feel. This isn't your fault, Jiro"

"But Furi-chan…"

"Now she is frustrated and she needs to blame someone. Leave her alone. She'll understand eventually that she's wrong"

 **…**

Noa stopped in front of the changing room door, doubting if she should open it or not. She was scared of finding out what was going on inside. How were her teammates feeling? How would the mood be? What could she tell them to make them feel better?

She bit her bottom lip, trying to find the right words. It wasn't her best performance in a match, they lost, and, furthermore, she was being unfair to Jiro. And that wasn't the first time. She scratched her head. She should start to control her feelings. It wasn't the first time that she took it out on him. She sighed, trying to relax, and, then, she finally opened the door.

Her eyes widened when she saw what was happening inside the changing room. Her teammates were laughing, talking and having fun. It was like if what had happened a few minutes ago didn't exist anymore. Noa opened her mouth to say something, but she was speechless.

"Ah! Noa-san!" Mayu took Noa's arm and dragged her into the changing room, closing the door. "Join the party!"

"P-Party?" She asked, a bit confused.

"Do you really think that because they have crushed us we aren't going to celebrate?" Yoshino smiled. "It's just a practice match!"

"We have to improve a lot, so what?" Noriko shrugged.

"We?"

"Today is your lucky day, girl, because we are going to grant your wish. We are back to the team!" Yoshino ruffled Noa's hair.

"But we lost!" Noa couldn't believe it. "This is nuts! I mean…I'm so disappointed because, honestly, I've performed so badly today. And, then… Oh gosh… It's Okuma… I don't know what to say. Seriously. The only thing I can do is apologize, but I get the feeling that it's not enough because I've been a pain in the ass. You've been through all of this because of me!"

Yui giggled. "I know and it's been painful, but, you know what? We forgot how much we love volleyball and, especially, how much we love playing together, as a team. Today, Itachiyama Academy has given us a painful lesson, but I know it's going to make us stronger"

"Spring high preliminaries, there we go!" Ayaka exclaimed, raising her fist eagerly.

Noa smiled sheepishly, while everyone hugged her, tapped her back and encouraged her. She couldn't believe it; she couldn't believe that experience that turned out to be a failure had that positive effect in all of them. Instead of separating them, like she thought at first, it bound their ties more than ever. And, although she didn't cry at the end, Noa felt like crying, but tears of joy.

"And, by the way", Yoshino added, "stop talking about you all the time. Do you really think that we haven't noticed that you didn't even move in the second set?"

"That's right", Yui followed. "We are a team, Noa-san. You can't do it all by yourserf. If you can't reach the ball, someone would do it for you"

 _Rely on my teammates._ Noa swallowed hard. They were right. She did it again. She tried to block, dive, receive, score... Mayu's father was right. She wouldn't improve as a player if she didn't trust her teammates.

Suddenly, someone knocked on the door. "Come in!" Yoshino shouted, so the person could hear her.

Jiro peeped his head in and everyone invited him to join them. However, the boy blinked a couple of times and blushed deeply, unable to move. "Nagano-senpai, why are you only wearing your panties!?" He squeaked.

"What?" Noriko shrugged. "You told us that you weren't interested in girls. There's no problem if you see us in our underwear"

"I said I wasn't interested in girls like you! Because I prefer older women! I'm not gay if that's what you thought!" He replied bluntly.

"What!?" Noriko threw him a towel and she put her pants on as quickly as she could, but everyone burst into laughter. "Get out of here, you pervert!"

"I just came to say I'm sorry!"

"Why are you all screaming like fools!?" Mori Hatsue came into the changing room as well, frowning. "Aoyama-kun, what the hell are you doing here?" She crossed her arms.

"I came in because I thought they were all dressed!" He mumbled, but that only made them the rest of the team laugh even harder.

"Hurry up. Watanabe-san is already waiting for us. We have to go". Mori Hatsue turned around to leave, but she stopped when Yui spoke.

"We are back to the team!" She claimed, feeling how her cheeks turned red.

The woman looked over her shoulder and grinned. "I already knew that. If you had given up volleyball, you wouldn't have come back to the team, not even to play this practice match. You wanted desperately that they begged you to join in again". The third-years stared incredulously at her coach while she left the changing room.

"See? I was talking about women like her!" Jiro remarked.

"Oh! Shut up! You're making it worse!" Noriko yelled. The ace tried to hit him using her sports bag, but Jiro managed to dodge it and he ran away, trying to escape from the third-year.

Amused by the situation, the rest of the team left the changing room as well after picking up their stuff. A few meters away from them, Jiro and Noriko kept arguing, while the rest of the team watched them hopelessly.

"Ayako-san", Noa turned around to talk to the setter. The second-year was walking with her hands in her pockets while staring at the ground. Normally, she was the first one to yell at Jiro, but she was unusually quiet. Maybe the reason was that she didn't play any minute… "You are being too serious lately. You didn't even react to Jiro's incident"

"Maybe the main reason is Watanabe Aimi's presence today", Ayaka smirked, putting an arm around her twin sister's shoulders, trying to tease her.

"And what's the big deal?" Mayu demanded.

"Because last year, when the classes were about to end, Ayako confessed to her brother and he rejected her", Ayaka burst into laughter.

"Shut up, Ayaka!" Ayako yelled as her cheeks turned red.

"What!?" Noa couldn't help it and started to laugh as well. It was hard to think that someone as rude as Ayako was capable of confessing to someone, especially when the boy was one of the most popular students in Karasuno, according to what Jiro told her.

"Don't laugh about it!" Ayaka pointed at her in a threatening way. "Do I have to remind you that you were called 'Little monkey' by OUR coach?"

"Okay, okay", Noa replied, still smiling. "I won't laugh again"

"Ah… I'm sorry that Nagi-chan rejected you, Ayako-chan", Jiro approached to them

"Did you hear that!?"

"I know I can't do anything about it and it's not going to cheer you up, but my brother has rejected all girls since he was in school. The problem is his, not yours", Aimi peeped her head through the driver's window.

"Did you hear that too!?" Ayako moaned, covering her blushing face with both hands, what made everyone laugh again.

"Let's change the topic", Chizuko smiled nervously, knowing how uncomfortable the whole situation was for her friend, "right?"

"By the way…" Everyone looked at Jiro. "I've been thinking and… What would happen with Chizuko-chan?"

"What do you mean?" Yoshino asked, raising an eyebrow.

"She is the captain, but if you are back, Michimiya-senpai will be the captain again, won't she?"

Everyone went silent for a few seconds, but, finally, Chizuko spoke. "It doesn't matter, Jiro-kun", the middle blocker flushed. "I'm glad the senpais are back. I'll have plenty of time to be the captain next year"

"Are you sure about it?" Yui asked while Mori Hatsue and Watanabe Aimi glanced at them curiously from their seats.

"Yes", Chizuko nodded eagerly. "You've been fantastic today. You have encouraged us to keep going even though everything seemed lost. You deserve it more than me"

"Well, I'm not saying Michimiya-senpai isn't a good captain. I'm sure she is. But you are fantastic as well, Chizuko-chan", Jiro tapped her back. "Sorry about asking, but I thought that it would be better if everything about the leadership of the team was clear from the beginning". Jiro was the first one to get into the minibus. "By the way, I was worry about you, Chizuko-chan. But I'm glad you are happy with the whole situation". He winked at her and the second-year blushed uncomfortably.

After that, the rest of the team started to get into the minibus, trying to imagine how Ayako confessed and ignoring how the setter was yelling at them to stop. According to Chizuko, the setter had already got over it, but it was still funny seeing her embarrased by that.

"Noa". The fist-year, who was the last one to get into the minibus, turned around. Okuma was standing a few meters away from her. Noa glanced at Mori Hatsue, who nodded, so Noa finally approached to the girl.

"You only have one minute. We gotta go"

"I'll be fast", Okuma replied. "I just wanted to tell you that you've beaten all records when it comes to being pathetic". Noa clenched her fits, but she let her continue. "You've decreased considerably your level in these last moths, Noa, but you still have so much potential. You can change. You can already join Itachiyama Academy. The coach is willing to accept you. You know you'll shine here, you are a smart girl, and you know that, here, you'll be able to increase your skills. You won't do it if you keep hanging out with that team full of useless people"

Noa remained silent for a few seconds before answering, trying not to say all kind of insults that were crossing her mind. "Thanks for your offer, but I'm afraid I'll have to turn it down. Maybe Karasuno isn't a team as strong as yours, but it makes me happy". Noa turned around.

"You are weak, McCormack"

Noa faced her again before walking away. "Yeah… Maybe that's why I'm known here as a Furihata, not a McCormack", she smiled and waved at her, while the minibus door closed.

"Is everything okay?" Mori Hatsue asked as Noa took a seat next to Mayu.

"Yes"

"Good", her coach grinned as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Because I have a surprise for all of you"

* * *

 **I don't know if you have noticed, but this story isn't following accurately what happened in the manga/anime. I'm fusing a couple of things, so I hope it doesn't bother you. On the other hand, I'm not paying much attention to the matches, but when the Sprin High Preliminaries start, I'll try to be more specific. It's going to be tough, especially when I don't know many things about volleyball, but I guess I could write something decent.  
**

 **Now, I can oficially say that I'm on vacation!**

 **~ See you in September!**


	14. Cats & crows

**A/N: I'm back! First of all, thanks to Luna for her review. You're always encouraging me to keep improving when I'm writting this story and I'm so glad there is so many people liking it. Yes, Noa is going to grow a lot, but she can't do it all alone ;)  
Thank you as well to all those people who followed and favorited this story! You've been quite a lot! I wasn't expecting anything like this.  
I'm not sure about this chapter, but I wanted to introduce other teams and I love Nekoma so much (although my favorite team -except for Karasuno, obviously- is Fukurodani haha). They'll be back in the future. I've enjoyed writing Daichi's reactions in this chapter, so I hope you like it.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Haikyuu or its characters**

 **CHAPTER THIRTEEN**  
Cats & crows

Noa tried to enjoy each and every one of the meat buns she was eating. After the match they played against Itachiyama Academy, she didn't realize how hungry she was until she allowed herself to relax a little bit with the rest of her teammates. Watanabe Aimi had the idea of going to a nearby store to buy lots of meat buns —so many that they could only eat half of them— in order to reward the girls for their hard work. Yet, and although she had a different opinion, Noa managed to see it as a small prize for everything that was about come.

During the time Aimi drove until stopping again, her teammates were chatting more relaxed, sharing their thoughts about the match and, especially, what they should improve. Noa smiled. Since she arrived to Japan, she had dreamt of fitting in, being part of something great, and at that moment she was feeling that her dream came true. That's why she was incapable of talking too much. She simply nodded or used monosyllables as she listened Mayu talk and gesticulate like never before.

It was weird. It was weird the fact that they lost miserably and, despite all that, the mood was so calm. Maybe they were all changing, but they didn't realize it yet. Noa was starting to believe that, at some point, bonds between them had started to form without them noticing. And she thought that was truly fascinating.

After spending more or less forty minutes on the way, the minibus stopped again. They were all so engrossed in their conversations that they didn't see the sign which informed them that they had arrived to Shinzen, another popular high school in the Kanto region.

"You can get off now, girls", Mori Hatsue clapped her hands to catch their attention. "Stretch your legs because this will be our last stop until we arrive to Torono and there are so many hours left"

"Where are we?" Yoshino asked, looking through the window.

"Hold on a second…" Ayaka, who sat at the end of the bus, pointed out through her window. "Isn't that one over there Takeda-sensei?"

Everyone hurried up to check if what the middle blocker said was true. Takeda-sensei was standing in front of the entrance door, with his hands inside the pockets of his green tracksuit jacket. He soon realized he had all eyes on him and, after jumping a little bit, he smiled sheepishly and waved at them.

Noa was the first one to get off the minibus almost crumbling down and pushing aside her coach, who cursed out loud.

"Takeda-sensei!" She yelled as she waved eagerly at him.

"I see you all are in a good mood", her teacher smiled when Noa approached, being followed quickly by the rest of her teammates. "I don't think it takes long to the boys to get here in a few minutes"

"The-The boys?" Yui asked, a bit confused.

"That's right. We've finished our practice matches in Saitama, so we are going back home all together"

"Wait! We are in Saitama?" Yoshino asked, a bit puzzled.

"Yes. You are in Shinzen High!"

The girls opened their mouths in astonishment, but they couldn't say anything. They were speechless. How did they know they were travelling to Tokyo? Noa, however, was suspicious about someone.

"Ah! Here they come!"

Daichi led the expedition. The Karasuno boys were walking with their hands in their pockets, talking nonchalantly. However, they weren't alone. Another group of boys wearing red and black sport clothes was walking with them. They seemed to get along well because they were talking and laughing. Noa thought it was weird due to the fact that they were rivals and that wasn't something you could see every day.

"Oh. You are already here". Daichi was the first one to notice the girls' presence, so he waved at them. As soon as he spoke, the rest of his team went crazy, running towards them.

"They have two beautiful managers and, now, in addition, they have a volleyball team full of cute girls!" A boy who had a dyed mohawk moaned loudly.

"They have a girls' volleyball team just like our school, you idiot!" The smallest boy amongst the other team replied as he narrowed his eyes.

Tanaka chortled, "That's right, Tora! They are our Karasuno beauties!"

"They are so shiny I can't even look at them!"

"Da-Daichi-san…" Yui stuttered as her cheeks turned red, ignoring what was going on between Tanaka and the other boy.

"You planned all this, didn't you?" Noa, taking a hop, placed herself between the two Karasuno captains.

Daichi chuckled when he saw Noa's face full of excitement. "Yeah, something like that. When you called me last night, I thought it would be a good idea to go back home together, especially since you were travelling to Tokyo. I talked to Takeda-sensei and Ukai-san and they thought this would be a good idea. Takeda-sensei had your coach number and he called her first thing in the morning"

"You two talked on the phone?" Yui asked, her eyes widening.

"Yeah. Sure", Noa scratched her head, feeling a bit ashamed.

"I didn't know you get along so well", Yamaguchi followed.

"They should", Tsukishima added as he walked past them, trying to be as far as possible from Tanaka, Hinata and Nishinoya, who were making a fuss like always. "In a different way, living together would be impossible, especially since Daichi-san has to live with someone like her"

Noa frowned, but she didn't answer Tsukishima, especially when she realized how pale Yui's face was. "Are you feeling well, Yui-san?"

"Eh? What?" The girl tried to cover her face with both hands.

"She is fine", Yoshino intervened giggling nervously. "She's just tired. We have hardly slept to be here today"

"But, wait. What does Tsukishima mean by 'living together'?" Suga asked.

"Oh! I didn't tell you, but Noa's father and my mother are getting married", Daichi answered.

"WHAAAAT!?" Tanaka, Nishinoya y Hinata, who seemed at first oblivious to the whole conversation, suddenly peeped their heads over their teammate's shoulders, trying to hear better.

"Daichi-san and Noa-san are going to be under the same roof", Nishinoya mumbled as some tears rolled down his cheeks.

"It's not what you think", Daichi put his hands on his hips. "From now on, we'll be family. That's all. And, like Tsukishima has said, we want our relationship to be as good as possible. That's normal when you are going to live with someone new"

"But, one more thing…" Asahi added. "How did you know all that, Tsukishima?"

"We are neighbors", Tsukishima answered, shrugging. Everyone opened their mouths in a perfect 'o', quickly understanding everything.

"Sorry for interrupting", Jiro approached to them, "but we have brought some meat buns for everybody~!"

"Ooohhhh"

The boys' eyes widened. Hinata, Tanaka, Kageyama and Nishinoya were the first to took one of them while the rest of their teammates looked at them hopelessly.

"Stay calm. Everyone will get at least one meat bun", Asahi tried to soothe them, but without much success.

"We just have barbecue. How could you be hungry?" Ennoshita sweat dropped.

"Did you have barbecue!?" Noa's eyes sparkled. "How lucky!"

"It was a surprise from the coaches after hard work", Daichi explained while watched how Watanabe Aimi joined Jiro and was helping him with sharing out the meat buns. "Hey! Hinata! Nishinoya! You've already picked one!" Daichi looked daggers at the two boys, who ran away from their captain when they saw he was going after them.

The scene made Noa laugh, but her attention was quickly on someone else.

"Did you train so much?" Noa asked Kageyama. The first-year was eating some meat buns almost in a corner, as if he was hiding the food because he feared someone could steal it from him.

"Yes! We played against great teams, so we have learnt a lot. We even played against one of the best Ace of Japan, Bokuto Koutaro, from Fukurodani"

"That's so cool!" Noa only met one famous Ace and that was Ushijima Wakatoshi, but she didn't know who he was until she asked Hinata. Was Bokuto Koutaro similar to Ushijima Wakatoshi? "How is he!?" She asked excitedly.

"Who?"

Noa narrowed her eyes. "Bokuto Koutaro!"

"His spikes are powerful, but he is… Special"

"What do you mean by 'special'?"

"I don't know"

Kageyama shrugged, so Noa rolled her eyes. The boy had some serious communication issues, but she wasn't going to insist on the same topic. She knew Kageyama enough to know that she wasn't going to get a clear description of Bokuto Koutaro.

"And what about the setters?"

"I already knew Kenma-san. He is Nekoma's setter. That one over there". Kageyama stared for a moment at one boy who had his hair dyed. He was sitting in a near curb, next to Tsukishima, while playing some videogames. "He is really good, but it was good as well playing against Fukurodani's setter".

The boy went silent all of a sudden and glanced at Noa curiously while eating his food. "Why are you here? You look terrible"

Noa blushed when she heard Kageyama and she hit him in his arm, although he was probably right. She looked terrible because of the few hours of sleep and the long trip.

"Idiot! That's how you treat girls!? Now I know why no one wants to be near you", she pouted.

"What!?" Kageyama burrowed his frown.

"Besides, we are here because we had a practice match against Itachiyama"

"Seriously!?"

"Yeah", Noa grinned proudly. "They crushed us"

"That's not something to be proud of!" He sighed. Noa was impossible. "Anyway, we haven't won either not even half of the matches we played, so…" Kageyama added with his mouth full of food.

"Well, but every cloud has a silver lining! Despite all that, the third-years are back to the team"

Noa glanced sideways at Kageyama. She had to admit it. He looked so cute while eating. She loved his puffed cheeks which made him look like a squirrel.

"Seriously, slow down or you are going to choke"

"Mmmfff"

"Swallow before speaking!"

Kageyama tried to swallow, but, when he did it, his face changed. The first-year coughed several times and he punched his own chest, trying to swallow completely the ball of food which was stuck in his throat.

"He is choking!" Kinoshita remarked.

"Kageyama, don't die!" Noa panicked as she tapped his back hardly while he was trying to tell something.

Finally, Ennoshita handed him a bottle of water. Kageyama took it quickly and drank until he was satisfied.

"You, moron!" Noa punched his arm.

"Ouch!" Kageyama looked daggers at her. "Why the hell are you hitting me!?"

"You almost scared me to death! I told you you were going to choke!"

"Who are you!? My mom!?"

"Seriously, I can't tell if they get along well or not", Sugawara mentioned. The third-year was watching them from afar.

"Yeah…" Daichi sweat dropped.

Noa put her hands on her hips as she watched how Kageyama turned around and walked towards Hinata mumbling words she couldn't understand clearly.

"That idiot", she muttered, shaking her head 'no'.

"That's what you get when you are involved with airheads like him, princess"

Noa jumped a little bit as she felt someone speaking near her ear. When she turned around, there was a tall boy. She looked at him up and down. Messy, but surprisingly good-looking black hair and sassy smile. Noa opened her mouth to answer him back. She wasn't _involved with_ Kageyama. It wasn't like that. She, however, wasn't able to pronounce any word. As stupid as it might have seemed, she felt embarrassed and looked away when she felt how her cheeks were turning red.

"These Karasuno guys are so rude… They haven't introduced us. I'm Kuroo Tetsurou, Nekoma's captain. May I know your name?"

Noa nodded shyly, "Furihata Noa"

"Ah… Noa-san", Kuroo grinned. "I didn't know Sawamura-san had a stepsister like you"

"A stepsister like me?" Noa blinked, a bit confused. "You mean a stepsister who plays volleyball too?"

Kuroo's eyes widened as if he was surprised by her response and, then, he chuckled. "What an innocent little crow!"

Noa tilted her head, not understanding what he exactly meant, but she didn't dare asking anything else.

"What position do you play?" Kuroo asked.

"Wing spiker"

"Wow… I'm middle blocker", Kuroo said proudly. "My job is stopping that shrimp Karasuno has, but I guess, if he was you, I would make an exception", he smirked playfully.

Noa giggled nervously as Kuroo got closer.

"Hinata might be small, but he makes a good duo with Kageyama. However, personally, I think that Kageyama does all the work. As a setter, he is in a completely different level"

Noa went silent for a few seconds. Probably, she shouldn't have said that, especially in front of the captain of the rival team. It was her opinion, but she thought that saying all that out loud she was insulting Hinata and she didn't want the orange-haired boy to get angry with her. As a player, she considered him as worthy as the rest of the team.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that", she apologized. "Hinata is a good player too. I've just made my own opinion based on what I saw while training or in practice matches"

"Don't worry, princess. Your secret is safe with me", Kuroo winked at her, what made Noa's cheeks redden much more, if possible.

"Ku-Kuro-san", the boy looked at her curiously as she fiddled with her fingers, being intimidated by Kuroo's intense gaze, "does your school have a girls' volleyball team?"

Kuroo raised an eyebrow, but, then, he grinned. "Yes. They aren't as good as us, but they are more than acceptable. Last year they classified for Nationals, although they lost in the first round"

Noa looked away, what made Kuroo grinned much more. Furihata Noa wasn't the type of girl who felt comfortable talking to boys, especially if she had just met them. He noticed it immediately. And that extremely amused Nekoma's captain, but, what amused him the most was the fact that she had such a good relationship with Sawamura Daichi. Now he had something new to have fun with and if there was something he enjoyed the most was provoking people, especially if it was the captain of the rival team.

"Maybe I can tell them that you'd be interested in playing a practice match against them", Kuroo crossed his arms.

"Are you serious?" Noa's eyes sparkled.

"Sure! Why don't you give me your email, sweetie?" Kuroo took his phone from his trousers pocket and smiled charmingly. "We can be in touch", he added, winking at her.

Noa stuttered several times, without knowing what to say. Was Kuroo Tetsurou playing with her? That was the impression she was getting, but she wasn't good at noticing those things. Normally, Lizzy was the one to explain her those kind of things, but she wasn't there to help her.

Noa searched for someone who could help her, someone who could tell her if Kuroo was only asking her email to help her get a practice match against Nekoma or not.

"She's not going to give her email to anyone"

Noa's eyes widened. Daichi, who was behind Kuroo, had put his hand on his shoulder. Daichi's face was terrifying and a shiver ran through Noa's spine.

"If you have to talk to her about something, you can write it to me as you have already my email. I'll give her the message"

Kuroo burst into laughter, "Are you going to tell me as well all that crap that, as crows, you are going to eat me alive or something like that?"

"I-It's fine!" Noa said, giggling nervously. "I'll give you my email, so you can contact me, Kuroo-san"

Noa snatched Kuroo's phone without him even noticing and she typed her email address to give it back to him again. "Done"

Kuroo gave Daichi a significant glare and he tapped his arm. "See? It wasn't that complicated"

Before leaving, Kuroo turned around, "It was nice meeting you, Furihata Noa. I hope we can see each other very soon. And thanks for the meat buns, sweetheart"

Noa smiled and waved at him. Despite the fact that Kuroo approached to another group of boys —apparently from his team because they were wearing the same sport clothes—, Noa couldn't stop looking at him. Nekoma's captain turned around and winked at her again, smiling playfully. The other boys did as their captain and grinned. Noa looked away, feeling how her cheeks burnt. She had been caught.

Kuroo Tetsurou was a really attractive boy. She couldn't deny it.

"You can't give your email so easily", Daichi crossed his arms over his chest, like a protective father, but she only stuck her tongue out as a response.

"I didn't know Daichi-san was so overprotective", Yui said, staring intensely at Daichi and Noa. The captain of the girls' volleyball team didn't leave the rest of her team and Yachi and Kiyoko had joined them as well.

"Yes. Actually, he is like a father", Kiyoko giggled, amused by Daichi's behavior.

"It must be very difficult to deal with all that bunch of idiots…" Yoshino added, putting her hands on her hips.

"The worst part is that Yachi-san will be the only one to control them in a few months", Ayaka looked at the first-year up and down. Yachi started to tremble, scared of her senpai's cold glare. "Kiyoko-san, are you sure she can do it?"

Kiyoko smiled. "Sure. Hitoka-san will be a great manager", she tapped Yachi's arm gently, making the first-year blush. "It's true that sometimes they are difficult to handle, but they aren't as bad as it seems. Hitoka-san has proven that she is prepared, especially dealing with the problems between Hinata and Kageyama"

"That's impressive, Yachi-san", Chizuko smiled. "Kiyoko-san leaves the team in good hands then"

"I'm still thinking that they are going to eat her alive", Ayako added, crossing her arms.

"N-Not at all", Yachi talked back. "Maybe the most difficult to deal with are Tanaka-san and Nishinoya-san. They are pretty… Intense"

"Tell us something we don't know", the twins rolled their eyes, making Mayu and Chizuko laugh. The four girls were on the same year, so they knew the two boys too well.

Immediately after, the girls stared at the two boys. Tanaka and Nishinoya, however, didn't even notice all eyes on them and they kept fascinated by Watanabe Aimi's beauty.

"And you told me you were…?" The young girl smiled nervously. Since the boys' volleyball team arrived, those two boys, followed by another one from the other team who had a dyed mohawk, didn't leave her, not even for a second.

"Tanaka!"

The wing spiker replied eagerly, too astonished to completely assume that a woman like her was talking to him. He didn't care that she was the sister of one of the most pretentious boys in Karasuno and, according to Tanaka, one of the most annoying as well. Who the hell did Wanatabe Nagisa think he is to reject all girls who dare to confess their feelings for him? He could choose whoever he wanted. That should be like a dream come true! _What a moron_ , he thought.

"Oh. Yeah… That's it! I swear I knew it. Are you Tanaka-san's younger brother? Tanaka Saeko, I mean"

Tanaka nodded eagerly, but Nishinoya pushed him aside to place himself in front of Aimi. "Do you know Saeko!?"

Aimi nodded. "Yes. We were classmates in Karasuno, although we weren't friends. We were very different. Saeko always liked bad boys and I preferred the 'spoiled brat' type", she chuckled as she remembered those times. "Is she fine?"

"Y-Yes. She's in the univer-"

"Then, did you know as well the Small Giant!?"

Hinata peeped his head through his senpais. The orange-haired boy, who had been wandering around the different groups who had formed, ended up listening part of their conversation. Saeko already explained him some things about the Small Giant, but not enough. Maybe Watanabe Aimi knew more about him.

"What the hell, Hinata!?" Tanaka groaned.

"Where did you come from!?" Nishinoya added, tapping his kouhai's head.

"Yeah. Well…" Aimi shrugged. "We had the same age, but we didn't go to the same class and I've never been interested in sports. I've only talked to him a couple of times, especially topics concerning school stuff as I was in the Student Council and in my second year they chose me as the president. But we didn't talk more than necessary". Aimi made a pause, trying to remember. "He wasn't talkative. In fact, he was rather shy, at least when he was around me", she rubbed the back of her neck innocently. That was probably normal when she was in high school. Her beauty was intimidating. "On the other hand, you could say he was one of the bad boys in high school. However, people said that, when he was on the court, he turned into a different person. People said he was pretty intense, but all his teammates trusted him… That surprised me a lot because I thought he was more like the weird type"

Hinata's eyes had been sparkling, but he suddenly changed his mood when he realized that Aimi wasn't saying anything new. He seemed disappointed, what worried Aimi. She realized that the boy was expecting much more from her.

"I'm sorry I couldn't help you", she smiled gently.

Hinata flushed and shook his head 'no'. "T-Thank you!"

"I think we should get going", Takeda-sensei said, approaching to Ukai and Mori. Both coaches were talking in a lively way, far away from the noise all the teenagers were making. "We'll be arriving to Torono at night and the boys should rest. They've spent a rough week training and I guess the girls are exhausted as well"

"Yes. You are right"

"It's a relief seeing that there are still teachers who worry so much for the students, Takeda-san", Mori Hatsue stated. "They are so lucky to have you as their faculty advisor"

"I do what I can", Takeda-sensei rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassed by the woman's compliments. "I don't know anything about volleyball, so there's a lot of things in which I can't help them"

"I don't know much about volleyball either", Mori Hatsue chuckled. "Although thanks to Ukai-san's advice, I think I'll improve as a coach"

"You can ask me whenever you want", Ukai gave her the thumb-up.

"I'm glad we can get along well", Hatsue insisted. "It was very important for me, given that you are the coach of the boys' volleyball team and Takeda-san is the faculty advisor of both teams"

"W-What?" Takeda-sensei blinked in confusion. "I'm not the faculty advisor of the girls' volleyball team"

"Seriously?" Hatsue's eyes widened. "Then, who's…?"

"Fujibashi Sadako-san", Takeda replied. "She teaches Math, but I'm afraid the girls had some problems with her"

Mori Hatsue looked sideways at her girls. They didn't tell her anything about it. She didn't even hear them talk about Fujibashi Sadako, but now that Takeda had confirmed that they didn't get along well, everything was crystal clear for her. She was starting to understand why the girls lost their passion for volleyball. Without a coach and without a faculty advisor to encourage them, they stopped having fun when playing.

"We are leaving now". Takeda-sensei was the first one to approach to Nekoma's coach and they shook hands. "Thank you so much for inviting us. It's been a great experience for all of us"

"Thank you for inviting us!" The Karasuno boys bowed their heads.

"So nice to meet you!" The girls followed, perfectly lined-up as they bowed their heads as well.

After that, each group got in their respective vehicles. The minibus in which the girls travelled and was driven by Watanabe Aimi was the first to start. While they moved, they put their heads out of the windows and waved at the Nekoma team. Then, they let themselves fall into their seats.

The noise of the previous hours was replaced by silence. Mori Hatsue, who was the copilot, turned her head to take a quick look at her team and she smiled when she saw them already sleeping.

For the first time she had met them, she was able to see the girls' face expressions at peace.

 **...**

Although everyone spent awake the last 200 km to Torono, anyone didn't feel like talking. Some of them, legs stiffened by the trip, stretched their legs in their seats, meanwhile, others tried to stretch the muscles in their backs, but without much success.

When the minibus finally stopped in front of the Karasuno entrance door, it was night already. The girls got off, feeling their feet and legs heavier, but they soon realized that the boys were having the same tiredness aura around them.

Mori Hatsue caught their attention and she ordered them to gather around her. And so did Ukai with his own team. "I know you are exhausted, but we have some serious stuff to discuss"

Jiro stood next to the woman, holding some papers. The coach put her hands on her hips.

"We'll continue doing the individual drills I prepared for each one of you. On the other hand, as you know, I have work to do, so I won't be able to come to practice every day. At least initially, I'll always coach on Thursday. I'll try to be here any other day, however, that's not up to me. It will depend on how much work I'll have. That's why Aoyama-kun will coach when I'm not here. I'll send him all information he needs to do it properly"

"Moving on to other issues, the girls' volleyball team has to share the gym with the basketball team", Jiro followed after having a look at the papers. "From now on, we'll use the gym especially in the morning because that's when it's free"

"What?"

"He has to be kidding…"

"As a matter of fact, it's free because no one is so crazy to get up earlier than we already do"

Most of the girls complained. They weren't used to practicing more than necessary, only the few hours they had until the boys from the basketball team arrived.

"He is not kidding. In addition, I remember perfectly that I told you I was going to be serious about all this", Hatsue furrowed her brow. "When I can't come, in the morning, you'll do the drills I've prepared for that day and I've sent to Aoyama-kun. After classes, you only have the gym available for one hour and a half before putting away everything, so the basketball team can use it afterwards. That's when you'll do the drills I made for each one of you in order to improve your resistance and physical strength. We'll start immediately. You are behind enough and the Spring High Preliminaries are around the corner. There's so much work to do"

Everyone swallowed hard. No matter how much they tried not to accept it, her coach was right. They didn't forget they were trashed by Itachiyama's second team and they didn't want anything like that to happen again. Yet, would they be able to improve so much in such a small time?

"I… I know nothing about volleyball". Everyone turned around to stare at Watanabe Aimi. The girl got off the minibus and she was looking at them, her eyes full with determination. "But I've seen it. I've seen you are becoming something. People say Karasuno's animal is the crow, don't they? I think you are still in the shell. At first, you didn't want to come out of it, but, after facing Itachiyama Academy, I saw that some of you started to break it. It's a matter of time. You'll learn how to stand on your feet and, then, you'll learn how to fly. You are not aware of it yet, but I'm sure that there are huge things waiting for you". Aimi put her hands on her chest, right over her heart. "You'll have to take that path. I know there will be bad moments, but also you'll create good memories as well. Don't let anyone discourage you. You are young and you are more talented than you think. It's time for you to start writing your own story"

Everyone kept silent, unable to say something. Aimi was right and seeing someone, although it was only one person, being on their side was enough to make them feel satisfied.

"Since when did you become so intense?" Jiro asked in a teasing tone. The manager noticed the tears that were forming in some of his teammates' eyes and were threatening to roll down their cheeks, so he tried to relax the mood.

"I can be a very deep person. I'm not just a pretty face", Aimi pouted, what made everyone smile. "My internship in a business company keeps me busy, so I can only ask for one free day to come to see you play and that's going to be in the Playoff finals. Deal?" She winked at them.

"Deal, Watanabe-san", Yui said, truly thankful for her beautiful words. "We'll be in the finals and you'll have to come to cheer for us"

The two girls shook hands while the rest of the members of the team witnessed that promise. They were going to be in the finals.

"Well, we have to go now", Aimi finally said, getting in the minibus, followed by Jiro.

"Do we have to give someone a lift?" The manager asked, but he regretted his question as soon as everyone get in the minibus as well.

"Hey! Give me a lift home too!" Nishinoya shouted, running towards them. "I live near Oka-san!"

"Noa-san, aren't you coming with us?" Mayu asked.

"No. I'll walk home with Daichi"

"Fine. Be careful"

The libero smiled as she closed the minibus door. Noa nodded and waved at them.

"Are you tired?"

Noa turned around. Daichi approached to her and he put his hand on her shoulder.

"A lot", Noa stretched her muscles. "I need some sleep", she added, resting her head on Daichi's arm, making him chuckle.

Although they walked home with the rest of the team, when they took separate paths, they didn't even say one thing. A simple nod was enough to say 'good bye'. They were all probably thinking about the same thing: taking a bath and going to bed, but hey were too exhausted to say it out loud.

Yamuguchi was the last one to take a different path and they ended up walking in silence next to Tsukishima, who only muttered 'Good night' in his usual monotonous voice as he kept walking until he reached his house, a few meters away from them. Daichi and Noa watched him turn right and, when he entered his house, they opened the door.

Noa wasn't used to experiencing what happened next. It smelled like fresh cooked food. The noise the door made when it was opened, was heard by Miyoko. The woman suddenly appeared in the hall, her beautiful long black hair tidied up in a ponytail. She was wearing a pair of leggings and an old and surprisingly loose gray t-shirt.

The woman ran towards them, arms opened. Noa stepped aside, so Miyoko could hug properly her son after one week, but her heart missed a beat when the woman grabbed her tightly with her left arm and hugged her too. She was trapped. She was trapped between Daichi's body and Miyoko's left arm.

"Welcome home"

Noa's eyed widened, feeling her heart beating fast.

 _So that's how it must be, having a mum who truly cares_

* * *

 **Next chapter is _Big girls don't cry_. So, yes, drama is coming, but it won't last long.**

 **~See you next time!**


	15. Big girls don't cry

**A/N: Hello, everyone. Thanks to everyone who followed this story. I've reached more than 80 followers! And, of course, thanks to Luna and Areil408 for their reviews. They always make my day!**  
 **As I told you last chapter, there will be more drama, but it won't last long, but I thought Noa should fix some family issues first.  
Oh! And I almost forgot. I've been thinking about doing some character profiles due to the fact that this fanfic has so many OCs. Each chapter you'll have one and I'll put it at the end of every chapter. What do you think?**

 **I do not own Haikyuu or its characters**

* * *

 **CHAPTER FOURTEEN**  
Big girls don't cry

Her chest hurt. It hurt so much that she couldn't even breathe properly. Her feet moved by heart and, without noticing, she just rang the bell of the house she had ran into. A few seconds later, the door opened and she held her breath.

She could have gone to somebody else's house, someone she considered a friend, but Yachi and Mayu lived far away from her and, on the other hand, she didn't know where Hinata and Kageyama lived. Besides, she highly doubted that the latter could even handle her situation.

"Furihata-san?"

And, then, she burst into tears. She didn't know why she was crying in front of him. His expression was as stoic as ever. If she could have chosen one person to see her cry, she would have chosen definitely Daichi, but at that moment everything was too complicated and she didn't feel like even looking at his face. She felt too ashamed.

A few minutes before

Noa was enjoying an apple in her room as she spoke to Lizzie by webcam. They hadn't talked for a long time and Noa decided to take the first step. She needed to tell her everything she experienced since she arrived to Japan, how much her life was changing and how many friends she made. She couldn't help it. Words came out from her mouth. She told her absolutely everything and she described in detail how all people she had met looked like since she arrived to Karasuno.

"Oh! I almost forgot! And I've seen Okuma Ryo!" Noa snapped her fingers, almost forgetting to tell her the most important part of her story. "Do you remember her? She's now playing for Itachiyama Academy which has one of the best girls' volleyball teams in Japan", Noa smirked. "She's an idiot. Can you believe what she did to us?"

Noa started to explain everything that happened in the practice match against Itachiyama. However, she realized soon that something wasn't right. Lizzie had her arms crossed over her chest, frowning. Noa blinked a couple of times, trying to understand what was going on, but she couldn't figure it out by herself. She guessed asking Lizzie about it should have been the best solution. But she was wrong.

"Are you okay? Is something wrong?"

Lizzie sighed. She truly loved her friend. Noa was like a sister since they met when they were six, when she and her mother moved out to the house next door, but, at that moment, she couldn't listen to her anymore.

"We've been talking for half an hour, Noa", she finally said, "and you've been the only one talking here. I'm happy for you, I'm so happy because you've managed to make friends in such a short time, but we haven't talked for weeks!"

"W-Well… I've been busy", Noa stuttered, not very sure if she should have said that.

"So do I!" Lizzie banged her desk with all her might. Noa jumped a little bit, so Lizzie realized what she had done and looked away. She remained silent for a few seconds before speaking again, feeling calmer. "I turned on my computer every day to see if you were online, Noa", her face expression saddened. "You haven't been online until today and we've only been talking about you. You haven't even asked me how I am or how practice is going"

"S-Sorry". Noa looked away. Was Lizzie telling the truth? She scratched her head, trying to look over the whole conversation. "How is everything going?" She smiled sheepishly, trying to ease the mood.

Lizzie hissed and shook her head 'no'. "You'd like to know that my new teammate and I lost in the first round of the last tournament we played"

"Seriously? But you-"

"You are too good? Don't you think I already know that? I don't need you to tell me that! Not you! I don't need you to feel sorry for me! Just encourage me, damn it! You should have asked how I was, but you don't care about me! You don't care anymore!"

"Lizzie, that's not true!"

"I don't want to talk to you anymore"

"Lizzie!"

Noa touched her laptop screen, as if she could reach Lizzie, but it didn't work. She was already offline.

Noa tilted her head. What the hell had just happened? They were talking and then... Maybe Lizzie was right. She didn't talk to her every day as she had promised. But why didn't Lizzie want to discuss it?

Noa felt a lump in her throat. Although at first she thought otherwise, the distance was being indeed a problem. Yet, Noa thought their friendship would be stronger than anything. Was it really her fault? Was her fault that Lizzie didn't want to talk to her anymore?

After considering the whole situation, Noa laid down on Daichi's bed. They were enjoying their last days of the summer vacation, but Daichi used some of those afternoons to study due to the fact that volleyball took up most of his free time.

Daichi glanced sideways at Noa, sitting on a chair in front of the desk, as he ate the sandwich Noa had just prepared for him. She was looking at the ceiling and, finally, he decided to clear his throat, catching her attention.

"Is something wrong?" Daichi asked when Noa looked at him. She seemed to be out of this world.

"Do you think I'm a good friend?"

Daichi blinked, confused. "Well, I consider you my friend and I think you are. You are a good friend"

Noa stared at the ceiling again and Daichi tilted his head, unable to understand what was going on that head of his stepsister. He rubbed the back of his neck, trying to say something more, but he didn't understand her question.

After coming back from Tokyo, they spent many hours talking about his expedition to the capital. Noa wanted to know everything, what they had done, detailed descriptions of each player and the recounting of every match. After that, he listened carefully about what she had experienced in the practice match against Itachiyama and how she hid the trip to Tokyo from her father. Daichi had scolded her for that and she had finally promised him that she would tell her father that she was in the girls' volleyball team before returning to classes.

"Have I talked to you about Lizzie?"

"Who?"

Noa smirked. That was the main problem. She had made so many promises to Lizzie, but she didn't keep her word. She had completely forgot about her. She closed her eyes. She was the worst friend ever.

"Is she a friend from the United States?" Daichi tried to get more information. Noa nodded, so he started to understand better what was happening. "Don't worry. Now she is upset, but she'll get through it"

"But I've been selfish. I don't think an apology will be enough. I've fucked up this time"

"Watch your mouth", Daichi narrowed his eyes. Noa stuck her tongue out and he shook his head 'no', disapproving her childish behavior, but, finally, he sighed.

"We've been talking for half an hour and, according to what she told me, we've been only talking about me. She was so mad. Apparently, she lost the last tournament she played, the first one with her new teammate. I tried to encourage her, but I only made things worse"

"I don't know her, but I guess she feels betrayed because she's been missing you while you are having fun with your new Friends"

Noa startled. Daichi had a point and, unfortunately, it made her feel worse.

"Now you feel bad, but sooner or later she'll forget about it. Throughout life, we lose friends and make new ones. How many friends from school or middle school do you think I have?" Daichi smiled. "It happens all the time. It's inevitable. You might be losing her, but you've made new friends now"

"But I know Lizzie since we were six. She's like a sister to me!"

"That doesn't change what I've said"

Daichi turned and took his pencil to keep studying. Noa blinked a couple of times, baffled.

"You are too harsh"

Daichi smirked and shrugged.

"NOA! COME HERE RIGHT NOW!"

Daichi opened his mouth to speak again, but he went silent when he heard the sudden yell from Furihata Hayate, who was downstairs. Noa sat quickly on the bed and her face paled. Her father tone didn't seem friendly at all. Noa looked at Daichi, searching for some answers, but he shrugged.

"DON'T MAKE ME GO UPSTAIRS!"

"Hayate…"

That second voice was Miyako's, who seemed to be trying to calm down her future husband. Daichi made a gesture, telling her that she should go downstairs immediately and Noa, finally, left the room and went downstairs.

Her father was standing in the middle of the living-room and he was holding something.

"What does this mean!? Explain it to me!"

Her father threw something to her. Noa grabbed it in the air and her eyes widened when she felt the smooth fabric of her volleyball jersey. Then she noticed. Her sport bag was next to her father's feet and everything that was inside was scattered all over the floor.

"I'm sorry, Noa-san", Miyoko murmured.

"Don't apologize!" Her father yelled at Miyoko. The woman jumped a little bit and closed her eyes, scared by her future husband's behavior. "I know you wanted to become friends with my daughter, get along well, but you've been hiding this from me!"

Noa shook her head 'no', trying to say something, but she couldn't. She was so afraid of her father. Miyoko knew since the beginning that she was in the volleyball team and she knew as well about the trip to Tokyo. She had already scolded her for that too, just like Daichi. But Noa thought it wasn't fair that her father was angry at Miyoko. It wasn't her fault.

"And to top it all, you went to Tokyo without my permission!" Her father's face was red from anger. "What if something had happened to you? Your high school could have been in trouble! And Miyoko! Don't you have anything to say!?"

Noa opened and closed her mouth several times. She was incapable of talking. How did her father know about the trip to Tokyo? She looked at Miyoko, begging her for some answers. The woman was covering her face with her hands. Why was she feeling so guilty? She shouldn't. It was her fault. _I'm so sorry, Miyoko_ , she thought.

"For God's sake..." Her father stared at the ceiling, desperate as he didn't get any response from Noa. "You are like your mother. Just as stupid and irresponsible as her"

"No..." Noa muttered, although her father didn't hear her.

"Hayate", Miyoko moaned. He was starting to cross the line.

"How many times have I told you to stop thinking about sports? It's a waste of time! I don't care if you like it. You mother liked it too! It's just a distraction for you. Your mother dedicated all her life to sports and what did she get? What was left? Nothing! It just ruined her life!"

"Don't talk like this about mum", Noa mumbled, feeling her voice tremble.

"What did you just say!?" Her father furrowed his brow.

"Why do you always have to talk shit about her!? Stop it!" Noa clenched her fists. "She is not here to stand up for herself!"

"Damn it, Noa! Stop defending her!" Her father pointed at her in an accusing way. "Try to understand me as well. Your mother is incapable of taking care of you! She doesn't want anyone to help her! Your mother is sick, Noa!"

Noa's eyes widened and she felt how tears were filling up her eyes. She took a step backwards and her father moved forward, trying to stop her. As soon as he had said those words, Furihata Hayate regretted them. But it was too late.

"Noa..." he mumbled, but he couldn't say anything else. Noa turned around and ran away.

"Noa!"

Daichi, who had heard the whole argument, went downstairs quickly to see how Noa opened the house door and left, running away. She was probably too annoyed, but he needed to talk to her.

"Daichi!"

Daichi stopped when he felt her mom grabbing his t-shirt. He turned around to look at her. Her eyes were full of tears and she bit her bottom lip, trying not to cry in front of her own son. Daichi pressed his lips in a thin line, hurt by seeing her mum like that. What should he do? He glanced at Furihata Hayate. The man was sitting in the sofa, his elbows resting on his knees and hiding his face with his hands.

What was happening? What part of the story was he missing? And what was so wrong with Noa's mum?

 **...**

Noa bit her bottom lip. Tsukishima stared at her up and down, one of his eyebrows raised. What she was supposed to say? She didn't know why she had gone to his house, trying to run away from her father. Tsukishima and she weren't friends. They were nothing.

Tsukishima could have closed the door. Yet, he didn't move, not knowing what to say and, especially, not understanding why Noa was in his house and why she was crying. Unconsciously, he grimaced. Then, Noa whined and she cried even more, to the point that her eyes were getting red. Tsukishima didn't mean to hurt her, but he didn't like dealing with people as intense as her. Let alone if they were crying.

"Who is it, Kei?"

A woman with dirty blond hair and brown eyes approached. As soon as Noa saw her, she knew she was Tsukishima's mum.

"Oh my…" The woman's eyes widened. "You are Furihata-san's daughter, aren't you? Is everything alright?" Noa swallowed, trying to say something, but, at the end, she shrugged, unable to explain it. "Come here. Get inside"

Tsukishima's mum dragged her in, pushing aside her own son who frowned.

"I-I don't want to bother you", Noa's voice broke.

"You are not a bother, darling~", Tsukishima's mum smiled and she guided her to the living-room. "Take a seat. I'll bring something to drink and you'll explain to me what's happening if you are ready, okay?"

Noa nodded, wiping away her tears with the palm of her hands. She sat down in one of the armchairs and she watched the living room curiously. It was simple and roomy, but, what caught her attention were all the photos that decorated the living room. She couldn't see them properly, but she could tell that Tsukishima seemed to have an older brother.

"Were you really thinking about not inviting her to come in!? She is your friend! And our neighbor!"

Noa swallowed hard. Tsukishima's mum murmured that to her son, who had been watching them from the hallway, when she left the living-room. Probably, the woman didn't expect Noa to hear it, but she did it anyway. Then, she rested her elbows on her knees and she covered her face with her hands, ashamed for being in the spotlight and for involving other people. What was she thinking?

"So, what silly little thing have you done this time?"

Noa raised her head. Tsukishima was in front of her. He was looking at her with a boring expression on his face, his hands on his hips, waiting.

"It's not a silly little thing", Noa spat. Did seriously Tsukishima think that she could be that simple?

Tsukishima raised both eyebrows, waiting for a good explanation. Noa seethed.

"I had an argument with my father. He has discovered that I play volleyball", she finally confessed.

"And so?"

"Well… I didn't tell him that I play volleyball, so he'll want me to quit"

"And so?"

"Are you kidding me?"

"It's only a club" Tsukishima shrugged. "Besides, you are the one who lied to him. It's normal he's angry at you"

Noa opened her mouth a couple of times to say something, but she didn't find anything witty to respond. Tsukishima was blunt, maybe too much. But he was right. Mayu had warned her not long ago as well. She should have told her father because the longer she waited, the bigger his annoyance would be.

However, there was something Tsukishima said that truly bothered her.

 _"It's just a club"_

No. It wasn't. Noa furrowed her brow and she pressed her lips in a thin line before answering him.

"Definitely, my brother doesn't know how to treat our guests"

Noa turned around. Standing near the living-room door a tall young boy —but not as much as Tsukishima— was staring at them. He had dirty blond hair and, thanks to all photos which were all over the room and how much he looked like his mum, Noa guessed that he was Tsukishima's older brother.

"What is happening?" Tsukishima's brother approached them and glanced at Noa curiously.

"I-I'm the neighbor", Noa said, ashamed. "Furihata Noa"

"Oh, right! My mum has been helping your mum with the move!"

"Oh! No! Miyoko is not my mum. She's my stepmother"

"She is Daichi-san's mother. He is the team captain", Tsukishima explained, so his brother opened his mouth, fully understanding.

"They moved with us, with my father and I", Noa added.

"Oh…" Tsukishima's brother rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm sorry! It's so rude I didn't introduce myself!" He smiled. "Tsukishima Akiteru"

"Sorry for bothering you. I shouldn't have come"

Noa put a lock of hair behind her ear and stood up. She turned around, but Akiteru grabbed her arm, not letting her move. Noa looked at him confused and, immediately, he released her.

"I'm sorry", Akiteru's expression turned serious. "But I've heard something about volleyball"

"Y-Yeah. Well… I'll have to quit", Noa felt how her bottom lip was trembling again."I… Uhmm… I…"

Noa felt her eyes filling up with tears once again. Since when did she become a crybaby? She bit her bottom lip, trying to hold back the tears, but it was impossible. They were already rolling down her cheeks and she was incapable of talking.

"Stop putting pressure on her", Tsukishima's mum entered the room and she gave Noa a cup with some hot tea. "Here you have. Drink it and relax. You can stay here as long as you want"

"Do you think this is a good idea, mum?" Tsukishima asked. Given that the way Noa had appeared on their house, he highly doubted her father knew where his daughter was. They could be in trouble because of Noa.

"Don't worry, Kei. Noa-chan only needs a quiet place to think, right?" Tsukishima's mum grabbed her by the shoulders and guided her gently again to the armchair.

Tsukishima rolled his eyes and sat on the sofa. His mum smiled at him, but he looked away, so his brother sat next to him, tapping his knee gently. They remained silent, watching curiously at Noa. She stared at the cup of tea and she sipped it from time to time. When she sniffed, they realized she was still crying, although not as much as before, but none of them didn't dare to say anything to her.

Finally, Noa stood up and, without looking at them, she left the living-room. The brothers poked their heads round the living-room door and stared at her, curiously.

"Tsukishima-san", Noa walked across the hallway until she went into the kitchen, "thanks for the tea"

"Oh! You can call me Sumiko", Tsukishima's mum smiled. "Are you feeling any better?"

"Yes. I think I'll go home", Noa bowed her head. "Sorry for the intrusion, Sumiko-san"

"Don't worry. You are Kei's friend, so you can come whenever you want"

"We are not friends", Tsukishima muttered and, immediately, his brother punched him in the arm to keep him quiet so they couldn't be discovered spying on them.

When they heard someone approaching again, they rushed to sit again on the sofa and tried to act natural.

"Kei, walk Noa-chan home"

"She lives in the same street. You can see her go into her house from here", Tsukishima huffed.

"It's-It's not necessary", Noa added, but Tsukishima's mum raised her hand. It wasn't negotiable.

"I don't care about that, Kei. The streets are dangerous and she has to arrive home safe"

"I'll walk her home"

Akiteru stood up, giving a meaningful stare at his younger brother, who rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. Akiteru approached the house door, where he put on his shoes and he opened the door.

Noa didn't spend so much time in Tsukishima's house because the sun was still shining that summer afternoon. Noa started to walk towards her house, but she soon realized that Akiteru wasn't following her. He was walking in the opposite direction.

"Akiteru-san", hold on a second. Should she call him like that o was she being too friendly? Noa clicked her tongue. However, he turned around and raised an eyebrow, not bothered by the way Noa had spoken to him. "My house is on the left. It's right there", she pointed with her index finger at a grey house.

"I know", Akiteru grinned. "Do you feel like going for a walk?"

Noa blinked a couple of times, astonished by Akiteru's question. Her cheeks reddened and, finally, she nodded. She ran towards Akiteru and, when she was next to him, he started to walk again. She couldn't imagine where they were going, but Noa preferred not to say anything and follow him.

Akiteru walked with his hands in his pockets and, if he noticed every time Noa glanced at him, he didn't say anything about it. He was a good person. At least, that's what Noa thought. Actually, she wasn't ready to go home because she didn't want to face her problems, not yet, and it was like he was able to read her mind. She was truly grateful and smiled as they walked together. Akiteru looked at her sideways and couldn't help but chuckle.

After spending about ten minutes walking, Akiteru stopped in front of a vending machine which was near a small park. He took out his wallet from the pocket of his jeans and he inserted some coins.

"What do you want? It's my treat"

"Oh no. No-"

"Hurry. I've already inserted the coins", he smiled.

Noa smiled sheepishly. "An orange juice would be fine"

Akiteru nodded and typed some numbers. He bought several things, food Noa didn't ask for. Then, Akiteru pointed at a near curb where they sat. He handed her the orange juice and a chocolate bar that Noa watched carefully.

"Chocolate is really good for moments like this", Akiteru winked at her, but he noticed that Noa seemed uncomfortable, so he worried. "Is something wrong?"

"No. It's just…" Noa looked away as she felt how much her cheeks were burning. "Idon'tlikechocolateatall", she murmured as fast as she could.

Akiteru tilted his head, analyzing what Noa just said until he understood and his mouth widely opened. "How is it possible you don't like chocolate!? Are you from another planet!?"

Noa shrugged, embarrassed. Akiteru laughed and took the chocolate bar from Noa's hands to hand her a bag of potato chips.

"I feel like eating something savory, but there's no problem. I'll eat the chocolate bar or don't you like either potato chips?" He asked in a teasing tone.

Noa giggled. "No. I like them"

They drank and ate in silence. The street where they were sat wasn't very crowded, so occasionally some people crossed the street, but they didn't even look at them.

"I used to come here a lot when I was in high school, to kill some time…" Noa looked sideways at Akiteru, who sighed. He played with the empty carton of milkshake. "Are you going to tell me what happened? It's the least you can do, especially since you stormed into my house"

Noa lowered her head. "I'm in a mess this time… I lied my father and I didn't tell him that I was in the girls' volleyball team. Moreover, I was in Tokyo and he didn't know about that either. Until now. And I've involved so many people…" Noa sighed. "I've done so many stupid things and we had an argument. My father never liked that I love sports so much, so he'll force me to quit and I don't want to". Noa felt tears filling up her eyes once again. "I came back to Japan not long ago, I really wanted to make new friends and volleyball has given me that chance. I've worked so hard to make the team compete again. My teammates are my friends as well"

"Hey… Don't worry. Big girls shouldn't cry", Akiteru tapped her back as he smiled at her softly and then gave her a tissue to wipe away her tears. "I'm sure that if you say to your father these same words, he'll change his mind sooner or later"

Noa shook her head 'no'. It wasn't that simple. Her family issues always had to stand in the way to her happiness, but she didn't want to share that kind of personal stuff with him. They just met and she didn't want to make him feel more uncomfortable than he already was.

"Now he might be disappointed. It's normal. You lied to him", Akiteru followed. He didn't think Noa was so childish to run away for nothing as insignificant as having an argument with her father. There must be something else, but she wasn't willing to share that information and he didn't mind at all. It was normal, especially because he was a completely stranger until a few hours ago.

"I know what it feels like when you disappoint someone for not telling the truth". Noa glanced at him. Akiteru's face expression was more serious. "It's my fault that Kei is like that"

"What do you mean?" Noa frowned. Was there really a moment when Tsukishima wasn't a completely moron?

"I play volleyball too. When I was in middle school I was pretty good, so I went to Karasuno. At that moment, it was a great team. I told Kei I was a regular player"

"That's awes-"

"I lied", Akiteru cut her off. "I was never a regular player. I wasn't even in the bench. I was so ashamed that I decided to hide it from him for a long time. Until he came to see me play my last match for Karasuno without telling me. If, at that time, I didn't like volleyball, seeing my little brother staring at me like that, betrayed, was heartbreaking, so I felt worse and I cried for days"

Noa swallowed hard and she kept silent. What could she say? They had completely different experiences, but, at the end, they were painful volleyball experiences.

"Don't pay attention to Kei when he says that it's only a club", Akiteru looked at her. "It will hurt you sometimes, even it's possible you'll hate volleyball at some point, but it will make you happy too. I'm still enjoying it after all, so talk to your father. Tell him how you feel. I don't think your father wants to see you sad"

Noa felt like laughing, but she didn't do it. She wasn't completely sure that Akiteru was right. She thought sometimes that her father enjoyed making her life miserable and reminding her how much she looked like her mum. Another failure willing to be added to Furihata Hayate's list that he wasn't going to allow.

"We should go. It's getting late"

Akiteru stood up and offered his hand, so Noa could stand up easily. He was right. The color of the sky turned into shades of orange and violet and she didn't even notice it.

Out of curiosity, Noa took her phone and checked it. She had some missed calls and a few text messages from Daichi. She felt a lump in her throat, feeling guilty for making him worry about her.

During their way back home, they chatted nonchalantly. Akiteru asked her some things about her, like where she lived until she moved on with her father or what her position was. Noa, on the other hand, find out that Akiteru was younger that she thought at first —he was 22— and he was still playing volleyball at university, despite of the bad experience he lived during high school.

"Oh… I forgot to take my keys", Noa sighed after looking for them in her pockets. When she ran away, she didn't think about taking the keys, so, at that moment, she had to ring the doorbell and she didn't want to. She didn't want them to notice that she was already home and face them. She bit her bottom lip, hesitating.

 _Ding dong_

Noa's eyes widened. She looked at Akiteru, who had his hand still on the doorbell and he smiled playfully. She grimaced. If he expected to encourage her, it didn't work at all.

Miyoko opened the door. She was wearing an apron and, although at first she seemed confused, at the end, she sighed, relieved that Noa was finally back.

"I'm so glad you are finally here. I was worried about you"

Noa lowered her head, feeling ashamed. Miyoko dragged her gently into de house.

"Tsukishima Akiteru", he bowed to Miyoko. "I've made sure that Noa-san comes back safe and sound"

"Oh, I'm so sorry for all the trouble", Miyoko bowed repeatedly, apologizing. "I'll have to thank you and your family for what you've done for our family"

"It's not necessary. It was a pleasure", Akiteru scratched his head, a bit embarrassed. "Well, I'm leaving. My mother must be wondering where I am"

Noa tried to smile, but she couldn't. She was sure that, as soon as the door closed, she should face her problems.

Miyoko waved at Akiteru and, then, she turned around to look at Noa. She didn't seem angry at her, what made Noa feel much worse. Miyoko only showed concern and Noa thought she didn't deserve how much Miyoko worried about her.

"Your father is waiting for you upstairs", she simply said and then she went into the kitchen again, probably to make dinner.

Noa swallowed hard as she was going upstairs. The hallway seemed longer than ever. She walked towards her father's room, going past Daichi's, whose door was closed. She should apologize to him too, although she didn't know how. She thought she would never be able to look at him. The scene they had made a few hours ago was too embarrassing.

Noa cracked the door opened. Furihata Hayate was sitting on the bed. His elbows were resting on his knees and he was hiding his face with his hands. However, when he heard Noa's footsteps, he looked up. He seemed tired, but, as soon as he saw Noa coming into the bedroom, his face expression changed, showing irritation.

Without saying anything, Noa closed the door to give them some privacy. After a few seconds of wait —which seemed never-ending to Noa—, her father stood up and approached her. He said nothing.

 _SLAP_

Noa's eyes widened. She felt her left cheek burning. Her father had just slapped her. For the first time ever. She bit her bottom lip, trying to hold back her tears, feeling grateful that her hair was hiding part of her face, so her father couldn't see her.

"I hope this is the first and the last time you do something like this. Daichi-san has been calling you. He has even tried to find you"

"I'm sorry", she muttered.

"Do you really think an apology is enough?" Her dad put his hands on his hips. "You've hurt this family, Noa. And it's all because of volleyball. Do you even realize it?"

"Please!" Noa stared at her father.

Tears started to roll down from her cheeks. She didn't care how many times her father could slap her or how many times he could tell her that he was hurting the family. She needed volleyball. Akiteru was right. She had to tell him. She had to tell her father how happy volleyball made her.

"I'm not stupid. The probability of becoming a professional player is almost null. Besides, I couldn't afford a proper living as a volleyball player because, let's face it, volleyball players aren't popular at all. And that's not what I want to become in the future. But it makes me happy. Volleyball makes me really happy as much as beach volleyball has always helped me to escape from reality when I was living in the United States. Here, in Japan, I met my new friends thanks to volleyball. I met people truly amazing that I couldn't have been able to meet if volleyball hadn't been part of my life", Noa took a deep breath. "I know I made I mistake. I should have told you before. But, please, don't take volleyball away from me. Don't make me quit. Please..." She begged.

Her father furrowed his brow and kept quiet. Noa fiddled with her fingers and stared at the floor. She wasn't expecting her father to understand her. After all, Furihata Hayate was a very severe and pragmatic man. Since Noa was small, her father insisted on another kind of activities for his daughter, like playing piano in order to develop her brain and manners, so he was reluctant to see his daughter playing any kind of sport. Without a doubt, her mother's issue was Furihata Hayate's main obsession, but Noa wanted to show him that she wasn't like her.

"I know that. I know that it makes you happy and I know as well that thanks to volleyball it was easier for you to fit in in high school"

Noa looked at her father, her mouth hanging open, surprised by his confession. Did she hear right? Did her father really understand her? Then, why did he behave like that? Didn't he realize that he was hurting her?

Furihata Hayate clenched his fists. Noa noticed that his hands were shaking and she swallowed hard and took a step backwards. She had never seen her father like that. He was depressed, like if he was having an inside battle. He sighed and, for the first time in her life, her severe father wasn't standing in front of her, but a vulnerable man. She guessed that, despite everything, her dad was still human and had feelings. The problem was that he never shared them.

"I'm scared, Noa", he admitted.

"Scared?" Noa hesitated.

"You're always saying that you don't look like your mum because, when it comes to physical appearance, you took after me and, in certain aspects, we behave the same way. But you don't realize that you are as cheerful, full of life and stubborn as your mother. She was always shining, but, one day, she became darkness. That's why I'm scared. It scares me that you'll go through the same. I don't want sports to bring out the worst in you, like your mother"

Noa felt dizzy. Her father was being honest with her and she wasn't sure she could be able to process all that information.

"I've always tried to protect you, more than you think, but if you didn't notice, I guess I failed as a parent. Maybe I haven't used the most appropriate methods. Miyoko has told me a thousand times that I should let you make your own mistakes and stop trying to create the perfect daughter", he sighed. "Today I've realized that, no matter how much I try, I will never be able to achieve that goal"

Noa didn't dare to say anything. Was it a compliment or was her father truly sick of her?

"From now on, I'll make an effort to be a better dad if you make an effort to be a better daughter. You have to start to speak to me, Noa. Don't hide things from me"

Noa couldn't help but smile. She felt that she was talking to a stranger, but it didn't matter. It was comforting.

"Okay", Noa lowered her head. "I'm sorry I've created this uncomfortable situation, especially when your wedding is around the corner"

"Let's make that day the best of our lives, alright?"

Noa nodded eagerly. Her father seemed like a different person and she was already feeling much better after talking to him. He wasn't as bad as she thought at first. She had always seen him like a monster, someone who didn't let her express herself freely, but now that she found out that he was only scared, she was able to see things from another point of view.

Noa didn't have a normal family. She already knew that since she was five and she started to notice how things worked around her. She realized, for example, that her mother didn't love her the same way other mums loved their children. But, at that moment, and although it was late, Noa had the chance to start from scratch. They should have talked before. They should have been honest with each other. However, her stubbornness and his pride stood in their way, separating them until now.

Her dad ended up hugging her. Noa's eyes widened when she felt his arms around her. That was the first time her father hugged her in a long time. She didn't even remember. It felt weird and it was obvious that his father didn't remember how to hug someone, he lacked practice. His arms were tense, just like Noa's, but, finally, Noa closed her eyes and put her arms around her father's waist and buried her face on his chest.

"I love you, dad", she whispered. She didn't dare to stare at him because she felt ashamed for what she had unconsciously just said and she knew her father listened to her when she felt how he held his breath.

On the other side of the door, someone was trying to listen to everything that was happening inside the bedroom.

"Mum, what are you doing?"

Daichi put his hands on his hips when he caught his mum spying on Noa and her father's conversation. Yet, he had to admit it, he was worried too and, in some way, stressed by the situation they had experienced at home. But it didn't mean that what his mum was doing was the right thing.

Miyoko turned around, her eyes full of tears.

"Are you alright?" He asked, showing concern for his mother.

His mother nodded and she smiled softly. Everything was alright.

* * *

 **Next chapter: What 'family' means. The wedding is coming!**

 **~ See you next time!**


	16. What 'family' means

**A/N: Finally, the new chapter is here! This chapter has been a bit complicated for me to write and it might be a bit controversial, but I'll explain some things at the end of the chapter because I don't want to spoil you anything.**  
 **By the way, as I told you in the last chapter, I'm posting the characters profiles! You'll have Noa's profile at the end of the chapter, so you can know her better. Let me know what you think about it. I plan on doing a lot more because there are so many OCs in this story.**

 **santoserimar: Well, her father will be as stubborn and serious as always despite they've talked about their feelings. Maybe they'll have more arguments because they have different ways of thinking, but that doesn't mean that he doesn't love his own daughter. Noa needed to understand that and she finally did it.**

 **lovelydasom: Omg. Your review melted my heart. I loved writing all the Akiteru part last chapter. I love him, he is such a lovely character, so he's going to appear several times in this story. Well, Akiteru and... Kei. Don't forget that they are neighbors and that they don't like each other, although they try to put up with each other because they have friends in common. But things might get worse.**

 **Luna: Omg... I'm so happy thanks to your review because I was so scared Akiteru was Ooc. I thought carefully first about how I should write all that part, when they go for a walk and have their conversation. At the end I was surprinsingly satisfied with the result and I'm so glad you liked it. as well As I promised and as I said before, I'm starting the characters profiles. The first one is Noa!**

 **Oh! And thank you so much to all the new readers. This last month I got many new followers. Welcome! I hope you are enjoying this story.**

 **I do not own Haikyuu or its characters**

* * *

 **CHAPTER FIFTEEN**  
What 'family' means

"You look stunning"

Noa looked herself in the mirror. Miyoko smiled as she put her hands on her shoulders and squeezed them affectionately.

Noa touched the smooth fabric of her dress and nodded, feeling how her cheeks turned red. She wasn't used to dressing so classy and let alone wearing dresses, so Noa felt that she didn't know the girl reflected in the mirror.

Probably, for the first time in her life, she thought she was beautiful. She was wearing an above knee dress in orangey pink chiffon and with strapless sweetheart. Around her waist, there was a thin ribbon which was tied in a bow. The focus, however, was on the two different shades of orangey pink of the dress, which suited her tanned skin, thanks also to the nude high heels. On the other hand, her long dark hair was tied up in a casual bun.

Miyoko came up with all those ideas. After all drama involving her father, Noa decided to throw herself into the wedding preparations, noticing that the ceremony was much more important to Miyoko than the woman admitted. That's how Noa was dragged into a shopping afternoon until Miyoko found the right dress for her stepdaughter.

Noa turned around to look at Miyoko right in the eye. Miyoko, unlike Noa, had her hair down, styled in long finger waves. In addition, the natural make-up made her look sophisticated and, in Noa's eyes, Miyoko was beaming every single day that went by. She glowed.

"I'll help you to get dressed, Miyoko-san"

"No!"

Noa, who was approaching the mannequin which was wearing the wedding dress, stopped immediately. She stared at Miyoko puzzled by her behavior. The woman jumped a little bit, realizing she had raised her voice more than necessary and smiled nervously.

"You don't have to, Noa-san", Miyoko added. "I can do it alone. You should check your father"

Noa nodded, still frowning. Miyoko used to be gentle, so it was weird that she had talked to her like that, but Noa guessed she was nervous because of the wedding, hoping everything went as planned.

When Noa left the room, she crossed the hallway of the house Miyoko and her father rented for the occasion. It was a typical Japanese house with a big and beautiful garden where the ceremony and the feast were going to take place.

She knocked on the door of the room which was at the end of the hallway and, then, she left it ajar, so she could check carefully if Daichi and her father were already dressed.

"You can come in", her father used a hand gesture to let her in.

Noa came into the room and, as soon as she saw her father and Daichi, she blinked several times, surprised. Maybe she was more used to seeing her father wearing a suit, due to the fact that, as a lawyer, that was his usual attire. Although he definetly didn't wear tuxedos to the trials. Daichi, on the other hand, looked different. The dark blue tuxedo made him look more mature.

"Whao…" Noa finally said.

Her father grinned. "I could say exactly the same. With that dress, you look like a lady. I was starting to believe that there wasn't any under your jeans and hoodies"

Noa clicked her tongue and looked away, embarrassed by her father 'compliments'. They weren't maybe the best, but it's the thought that counts.

"You are saying it as if it is easy", Noa pouted. "I can't walk properly with these high heels"

"Maybe the high heels are too much. You are still a little girl. You should put the patent leather shoes on instead"

Daichi glanced at Noa sideways, so she blushed uncomfortable. "Dad! Only children wore those shoes!"

That made Daichi laugh. "You look good. If you don't feel confident enough with those high heels, you can always use my arm to help you. I don't care"

Noa lowered her head. They had spent several days living together, but she hadn't got used to sharing her own space with so many people yet. She met Daichi not long ago and she was forced to live with him. She couldn't complain about him because he was being the perfect company. He was thoughtful, polite and he cared about her. However, seeing Daichi just after getting up or sharing the bathroom with him was still weird for her. But she guessed that Daichi felt the same.

"By the way", her father spoke again, "is Miyoko ready?"

"Oh! Yes! Well, she's almost ready. She was going to get dressed now"

"And why aren't you helping her?" Her father frowned and Noa swallowed hard, expecting another scolding from Furihata Hayate. It didn't matter they had been honest with each other; her father still was a pain to Noa. He was much severe and courteous for her liking.

"S-She didn't want me to help", Noa mumbled.

Suddenly, her father's expression changed, as if he had remembered something important. He seemed more relaxed. "Oh", he shrugged. "Okay. It's fine. It doesn't matter"

Hayate turned around and took a white flower which was on the table and he placed it in the pocket of his jacket. Noa blinked, confused by his sudden change of mood. She glanced at Daichi, searching for an answer, but he scratched his head and smiled nervously. He didn't understand anything either.

Finally, her father approached her and they went to the garden while Daichi looked for his mother.

The guests had already begun to arrive and started to gather into groups to chat while they waited for the ceremony to start. Noa didn't know many of them, due to the fact that, unlike Miyoko's, her father's family wasn't big. Furihata Hayate was an only child, while Miyoko had three older siblings. Daichi had so many cousins. But, apparently, Noa's father had made up for the lack of members in his family inviting several friends. Given that how serious her father was and how much he worked, Noa was surprised he had so many.

Although many people approached Hayate to congratulate him and meet his daughter, Noa tried to avoid certain people, specifically her grandparents. And, in particular, her grandmother, Furihata Chiyoko. While her grandfather, Furihata Jomei, was a quiet and thoughtful man, her grandmother was the opposite. She was a temperamental woman and even more severe than her father.

Noa treasured every moment she had spent with them, but she didn't see them since she left Japan when she was six and she knew her grandmother well enough to know that she was searching for her in order to attack her for whatever reason. Furihata Chiyoko never liked Noa's mum and let alone the manners she taught her. When Noa was a child, she loved touching and playing with all the porcelain figurines her granny used to decorate her house in Kyoto. Because of that, her grandmother pulled Noa's ears more than once, insisting on how barbaric she was.

In the end, the wedding had a short and simple ceremony. Miyoko was stunning with a beautiful long white dress. The fabric was loose, so it hid her thin body, but the ¾ sleeves and the boat neck were truly becoming.

Miyoko walked down the aisle with Daichi, towards the arch made by flowers where Noa and her father waited. And, after all that, Noa couldn't believe she was going to witness her father's wedding with another woman. She felt a lump in her throat. It's been a long time since her parents got divorced, but the fact that her parents' marriage didn't work in the end didn't mean that she didn't want them to be together.

Yet, when she stared at Miyoko's face, her eyes were sparkling so brightly that Noa knew that her marriage with her father was what made Miyoko the happiest woman on Earth. Noa smiled, realizing that Miyoko and her father had run into each other after experiencing failed love stories. Her father was able to love someone after all. And, maybe, she could love someone one day. Because Miyoko and Hayate were so different, but, at the same time, they found harmony in their lives.

Noa leaned on the wood fence that surrounded the garden and she sighed. They worked against the clock in order to have all wedding preparations ready on time. They had few time to plan the wedding, especially because Miyoko and her father insisted on getting married before the summer vacation was over, so Daichi and Noa could help them. During the last couple of days, Noa didn't even have time to train; apart from the few moments Daichi and Noa could practice their serves and receives in the small courtyard of their house. Noa hoped the coach didn't hear about that because she would get mad.

And, speaking of the devil, she checked her phone and, much to her surprise, she had an email.

 **From:** Mori Hatsue  
 **To:** Furihata Noa, Michimiya Yui, Niimura Yoshino and 6 others

 _Hello everyone._  
 _I hope you're all having fun and, of course, you are all training hard. I'll check out personally how much you have improved ―or not!― when you came back to school!_  
 _As I told you before the summer vacation started, I will be able to attend to practice only on Thursday. However, I have good news. I'll be free next Friday as well! Prepare yourselves because I have some new drills specially made for you!_  
 _See you next Thursday._  
 _Your coach, Mori Hatsue._  
 _PS. Oh! I almost forgot, but on Friday I have a present for all of you!_

 **From:** Aoyama Jiro  
 **To:** Mori Hatsue, Furihata Noa, Michimiya Yui and 6 others

 _Does that include me!?_

 **From:** Mori Hatsue  
 **To:** Aoyama Jiro, Furihata Noa, Michimiya Yui and 6 others

 _Of course_

 **From:** Aoyama Jiro  
 **To:** Mori Hatsue, Furihata Noa, Michimiya Yui and 6 others

 _YAY!_

Noa giggled and put away her phone in her purse. She couldn't wait to know what her coach had prepared for them.

After the feast, Noa was full. She looked up. The sky was getting murkier as the sun sank and darkness began to spread. Some of the guests had stood up to dance in the middle of the garden, where there was the dancing floor.

Noa crossed her arms and chuckled, amused by her father's clumsiness when it came to dancing. He was tense and, every two seconds, he stepped on Miyoko, who couldn't stop laughing considering her husband inability for dancing. Noa shook her head, a bit embarrassed by her father and his non-existent sense of the rhythm.

"What a crazy day, huh?"

Noa nodded, still with her eyes set on the couple. She didn't need to turn her head to know that Daichi was standing on her right, leaning on the fence to keep her company. He had spent most of the time with his cousins ―he had previously introduced them to her―, but, in the end, Noa left him chatting with them.

"I hope everything goes well for them this time", Daichi said, watching their parents as well. "I wouldn't like to experience another divorce"

"I don't think that would happen. They are made for each other", Noa replied, glancing sideways at Daichi.

Noa didn't know the details about Miyoko's previous marriage, no more than what Daichi told her.

Apparently, his mother got married to a man much older than her, believing she could find a certain stable life. A few months later, she got pregnant, but, after Daichi was born, Miyoko realized that her life wasn't as perfect and easy as she expected. When Daichi was two years old, his parents got divorced. Since then, Daichi had seen his father a couple of times, so he never considered him his dad. He only spoke to him on the phone a couple of times during the year and they met when his father decided that it was a good time to visit Miyagi.

For Daichi, the fact that his parents got divorced and he was living with his mum didn't mean that his father could forget his duties as a parent. And Daichi was right.

"Here you are, young lady!"

Noa felt a shiver running down her spine. She remembered perfectly that voice. Her grandma was walking towards her, followed by Noa's grandfather. As soon as she was in front of Noa, her grandmother tug Noa's ear, so the girl groaned.

"Ouch!"

"It serves you right! Aren't you ashamed!? You didn't even greet you own grandparents…" The elderly woman put her hand on her hips while Noa looked away. She had been avoiding her since the first guests arrived, but, being with Daichi at that moment, she had lowered her guard.

"H-Hi" Noa pouted.

"This is unbelievable…" Her grandmother took a deep breath, staring at her husband while waiting some kind of support, but the old man only shrugged. "You are so ill-mannered, Noa. Just like you mother", her grandma shook her head 'no'. "Luckily, you are back now. Your father should have taken care of you in the first place"

Noa felt a lump in her throat and lowered her head. That's why she didn't want to see her grandmother. Because she always found any excuse to remark how much she hated her mother.

"Chiyoko…" Her grandfather muttered, putting a hand on his wife's shoulder.

"Don't try to dissuade me", her grandma raised her index finger in an accusing way. "She is fifteen and she's grown enough to have a proper behavior. That woman… How could she let her daughter behave as a savage? I hope Hayate is firm with you. I'm sure he has a lot of work to do"

Daichi watched the whole situation, eyes wide open, puzzled. He greeted Noa's grandparents when they arrived, but he didn't know Noa didn't do the same. Although he could understand why. Her grandmother was harsh, so he preferred to keep quiet.

"Oh! I didn't notice you were here, Daichi-san", the old woman turned to look at him and smiled charmingly. "I hope you learn something from him", the woman spat, returning all her attention to Noa.

"There, there…" Noa's grandfather pushed gently his wife, so she could move to the dance floor again. "Noa-chan had enough for today"

"Don't treat me like a child, Jomei!" Her grandmother complained, but, despite that, she let her husband guide her.

"We've spent so many years without seeing you, Noa-chan. Actually, your grandma misses cooking for you", her grandfather turned around before following his wife. "You can come to visit us in Kyoto whenever you want. You should already know that"

Noa nodded. Her grandfather turned around and, with his wife, they walked towards the middle of the dance floor, where they started to dance as if nothing had happened.

Noa sighed and whined. She squatted and hid her head between the legs. If there was someone she was really scared of, even more than her father, that was Furihata Chiyoko. Avoiding her had only made things worse between them and, to top it all, Daichi had to witness everything. It was embarrassing.

Daichi blinked, still a bit confused. He didn't understand what kind of family Noa had, but he did want to understand it. He had told her many things about his childhood and his parents, but Noa had only given him information about her little by little and it wasn't clear at all.

As Noa squatted, Daichi did the same. He waited patiently until Noa glanced at him and, when she did it, he smiled. His gesture, instead of encouraging her, seemed to make her feel worse, so she whined again.

"Don't worry", he said, trying to ease the mood.

"I hate my grandmother"

Daichi sweat dropped. He wasn't the one to blame her. He met Noa's grandmother a few hours ago and he thought she was such a special woman.

"We've met not long ago, so I can understand why you are so shy with me when it comes to more personal issues. We don't know barely anything about each other. We are learning through living together. But I want to know more about you, Noa, because we are family now"

The girl looked up. Daichi was serious.

"I want to get to understand you better. I want to understand why in high school, when you are with your friends and with the team; you are a completely different person and, then, at home, you lose all that cheerful personality. I want to know why people say terrible things about your mum and, especially, why you don't defend her"

Daichi pressed his lips in a thin line. Noa's eyes widened. She opened her mouth to reply him, but, for a few seconds, words didn't come out, so she lowered her head, saddened. Daichi was right. Her attempts to defend her mother when people said those terrible things about her weren't enough. Maybe that was because, deep down, she firmly believed that her mum didn't deserve it.

"I'll be waiting for the day you want to talk", Daichi stood up and took one step forward, but he stopped when he felt how Noa grabbed his trousers.

"I… I can tell you now if you want", she muttered, hiding her blushing cheeks.

"Okay", Daichi tilted his head, not sure if it was the right moment or if she was ready. "I'm all ears"

Noa stood up slowly too. Without saying anything else, she took Daichi's hand and dragged him inside the house. Both took off their shoes and Noa sat down on the floor of the big room which was in front of the garden, so they could see what was happening outside thanks to the big windows.

"Uhhhmm… I don't know how to begin", Noa fiddled with her skirt.

"Why don't you start telling me what kind of illness your mother has?"

Noa jumped a little bit as she heard the question. She had forgotten about it. Her father shouted that while they were having their argument a few days ago.

"She… Huh… Well…" Noa sighed. "Do you remember what I told you the first time we spoke about this? I told you that my mum got pregnant when she was very young"

"Oh! Yeah. That's true. We were sitting in a curb near the gym. You told me she was a water polo professional player and she met your father in a competition in Japan, didn't you?

"That was the second time she was called for the national team", Noa nodded. "But, when she got pregnant, my mum had to stop. During the pregnancy, she didn't take care of herself. She gained weight. So, when I was born, she worked hard to be back in shape. She tried to play water polo again two years after I was born, but she had been left behind. While her teammates were well-known professionals, backed up by good sponsors, she had nothing"

Noa bit her bottom lip. It was really difficult for her. It was difficult to say out loud that her mother had a problem. And, as stupid as it could seem, she was afraid that people could know about it. She was ashamed of that.

"She… She got depressed", Noa said, her voice trembling.

Daichi's eyes widened. "What…?"

"Postnatal depression", Noa confessed. "Of course, I can't remember what happened then because I was only a baby, but my grandma always insists on the inability of my mum to take care of me and how stupid my father was for falling in love with a woman like her. Now I think I can understand so many things. I understand why, as time went by, my father threw himself into work, so he was never at home. I understand as well why my mum stared at me contemptuously every time she watched me shine while I was practicing sports. And I understand too that that postnatal depression hid much more. She hated me"

Daichi couldn't believe her words. What Noa was saying was too serious.

"I don't think your mother hates you. Not a single mother hates her children"

"My mum imagined me achieving her dream and it bothered her. That whole process, giving up on sports when she was so young and talented and the hormonal changes provoked by the pregnancy, brought to light a much more serious problem. She loved me sometimes and other times I was only a problem to her. There wasn't a happy medium"

Noa clicked her tongue. For a long time she had trouble in understanding why her mother behaved like that. Now that she was almost an adult, part of her felt guilty meanwhile another part reproached her mother all the suffering she had been through.

"My mum got my custody when my parents got divorced, so I moved to the United States, her home country. During the trial, she showed evidence enough to convince the judge that she already got over her illness. But only my father and I knew the truth", Noa followed. "The first weeks were like a dream. My mum was the nicest person on Earth. But, right after, her behavior began to change. Sometimes she was at home and sometimes I didn't know where she was for weeks. The neighbors took care of me, although I learnt how to take care of myself because I didn't want to be a burden for them. But, when my mother was at home, I hated being there. She was obsessed by the silliest things and she had the bad habit of treating herself without asking a doctor. She always told me that, despite that, she was fine. But I knew that wasn't true. So, in order to avoid her as much as possible, I used to spend almost all day in the street. That's how one day I saw a group of teenagers playing beach volleyball. Since then, I devoted all my free time to beach volleyball, finding at the same time a way to forget about what was happening at home"

"So that's why volleyball is so important for you", Daichi glanced at her, a sad expression on his face.

"Beach volleyball made me truly happy. That's why I tried out indoor volleyball when I arrived to Japan and it makes me as happy as beach volleyball", Noa smiled.

"But, there's something that it isn't clear", Daichi thought about it before speaking again. "How did your father manage to get you custody after so many years? It's weird, don't you think so?"

"I'm not sure, but I have a theory", Noa made a pause before speaking. "My mum has a huge family. She has many siblings and one of them, my Aunt Rose, lives near our house in California. One day she came to visit us without calling and she found out that my mum didn't get over her problems like everyone believed. They had a terrible argument and my mother kicked her out of the house. It wasn't a pleasant scene to watch"

Noa sighed as she remembered it. Her mother lost her rag and she even shoved her own sister. She told her so many horrible things. From her bedroom window, Noa watched her aunt cry in the street before getting in the car.

"I think my aunt Rose was the one who called my father to warn him about what was actually happening", Noa looked at Daichi in a determined way. She was almost sure. "I think she told him the truth about how we lived, about my mother behavior and about her excesses. I guess that's when he was determined to fight for my custody and he ended up winning the trial"

Daichi kept quiet. He could understand Noa better. Her complicated relationship with her father, the way she was always staring at him and his mother, how reluctant she was to talk about her mother... It shouldn't have been easy for her. It must have been difficult to witness the worst part of one of your parents and Noa had to deal with not feeling loved by her own mother.

Daichi clenched his teeth. He really wished to be something else to Noa, not only the son of her father's wife or just her senpai. He wanted to make sure that, that new life that was waiting for them; they could walk it together, supporting each other when necessary. Being siblings despite of not being blood related.

"I met your father a year ago"

Noa frowned, not understanding what his point was.

"I thought he was a serious man. I wondered back then if he was what my mum needed, but, when I realized how happy she was, I didn't question him". Daichi explained. "Before you came back to Japan, your father called me because he wanted to talk to me alone. At first, I thought it was weird and it was an uncomfortable situation for me", Daichi rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassed only by remembering that situation. "But after our talk, I understood that there wasn't anybody better for my mum than your father"

Noa felt how her cheeks reddened. She wasn't used to hearing compliments about her father, especially from Daichi.

"We talked about you"

Noa's eyes widened. In that conversation, she was expecting any subject but that one.

"Me?"

Daichi nodded. "He told me he had a daughter two years younger than me, although I already knew that. My mum talked to me about you and she told me that she had spoken to you on the phone more than once. But that wasn't what he told me. He asked me for a favor"

"Geez… I don't know why, but I don't like how that sounds", Noa grimaced.

"It's not bad", Daichi chuckled. "He confessed that he was afraid that you didn't fit in, not only in high school, but in the family he was about to form with my mum. He told me he didn't want to see you suffering and he hoped I could help you. I told him that I was going to help not only because I thought that his request was something every father would like for his children, but because his tone and his face expression showed me that there was much more, but I couldn't read properly between the lines. Maybe your life in the United States wasn't as easy as I thought"

Noa smiled. "Why I'm not surprised? You are always protecting everyone"

"Do you really think that?" Daichi blinked, puzzled, and scratched his head. "Anyway. The thing is that maybe I was too excited about your father's completely trust in me, so I made him a promise"

"A promise?"

"I promised him that I would be the older brother you deserved, that I would protect you no matter what", Daichi looked away, a bit embarrassed.

Noa felt a warming sensation in her chest and she smiled. "Did you really tell him that despite of not having met me yet? Everything could have been bad; we could have hated each other. You didn't know what kind of person I was and, yet, you made that promise", Noa giggled. "I think that's why he thinks so highly of you. You are like the son he never had and I'm sure he always wished to"

"I know. I know I exaggerated the whole thing", Daichi rubbed the back of his neck. "But, you know? Now, I don't regret anything that I said that day. I like you and I think that, until now, we make a good team. We still have a long way to go. And, let's face it, it's weird sharing the same space with a girl, but it's funny having other people around. Being an only child is sometimes boring and lonely, so it's fine having someone to rely on"

Noa smiled brightly. "I'm glad I've told you about all this. I don't like talking about my personal problems, not even to Lizzy who knew what happened better than anybody"

Daichi smiled and looked forward, to the garden, where the guests were still enjoying the evening and ignoring that Noa and Daichi wasn't amongst them. He was sure. That marriage, that new family, everything was going to be okay.

"You know what, Noa?" Daichi stared at her, who had to look up. "I want you to know that you can count on me and I hope I can always count on you"

"Sure", Noa's eyes sparkled.

"Great", Daichi squeezed her shoulder affectionately. "Because that's what being family means. Family is there to support you no matter what, to encourage you when you need it and to warn you when you are making mistakes"

Noa watched Daichi a few more seconds, feeling a lump in her throat. She didn't know what was wrong with her, but, since she arrived to Japan, she was getting emotional so easily.

When she was in the United States, Noa was starting to think that she was unable to feel anymore, but at that moment she truly believed that the only thing she needed was get away from the United States, get away from her mum.

Two heads poked suddenly around the door. Kazu and Makoto, two of the many cousins Daichi had, were watching them curiously.

"Where the hell were you, Daichi?" The boy asked Daichi, frowning.

"Ah, sorry", Daichi stood up. "Noa needed to sit down for a while because of the high heels, so I was keeping her company"

The two boys stared at Noa. She smiled sheepishly and shrugged, making them smirk.

"Uncle Sheishu thinks he's the king of the dance floor. You have to watch it!" Makoto laughed while Kazu went into the room to grab Daichi's arm and drag him outside.

"Let's show him how it is done!"

"B-But I don't know how to dance!" Daichi tried to sneak away without much success.

"Oh!" Makoto turned around before joining the two boys. "Noa-chan~, join us!"

Noa felt how her cheeks turned red and nodded. Makoto offered his hand to help her stand up and ask her for a dance. Noa looked excitedly at Daichi, who winked at her. She truly loved Daichi's family. His cousins, uncles, aunts and grandparents were talkative, kind and funny. But the best part was that they accepted her right away. That's why, thanks to them, all her fears about finding her own path in Japan were gone. She wasn't surrounded by unknown faces never again. She was with family. _Her_ family.

* * *

 **Well, I'm scared you don't like Noa's mum story at all, but, unfortunately, I based it in self experience.**

 **I have a relative who has a tendency to get depressed and even tried to commit suicide once, so I know it's a sensitive topic. Noa's thoughts are more or less inspired on how I felt at that moment. I felt ashamed not because a relative had that kind of problems, but because I didn't notice anything. I was ashamed of myself and I told my friends about the whole story not along ago. I wondered what I missed, if this relative had been asking for help and I was completely blind. Later on, I was told that we can't predict this, but, since then, I'm much more aware of my surroundings and every time something bad happens to my family I can't help but watch carefully all this relative's moves because I'm scared he tries to commit suicide again.**

 **Anyway, I didn't mean to bother anyone about this and I hope that, despite all that, you've liked this chapter. Great things are coming and the Preliminaries are around the corner. Everyone is working hard to win and go to the Spring High!**

 **And, as I promised, here you have Noa's profile!**

 **CHARACTER PROFILE**  
FURIHATA NOA

 **Complete Name:** Furihata Noa ―in the United States she was known as Noa McCormack, her mother's surname before getting married―

 **Date of birth:** November 6th

 **Age:** 15

 **Height:** 160.9 cm

 **Weight:** 46 kg

 **Appearance:** Noa has straight black hair which goes past her shoulders down to the middle of her back; although she tidies it up in a ponytail when she's playing volleyball. She has a brownish eyecolour, while her eyes are big and round.  
She has freckles which are visible despite her tanned skin. Her body is rather slim and her bust is about normal size.

 **Personality:** Noa spreads her cheer far and wide: lively, cheerful, screw to those who act sad in front of her. She would do anything for them to smile. She's always working to improve herself and the team, motivating them with infectious enthusiasm. People tend to say that she's a natural leader but she doesn't think so. Despite this, she is very fragile, sensitive and tends to hide her problems from everyone, whatever they are, and then cry alone -although she hates the fact that now she seems to be becoming a crybaby.  
Given that she had spent the last nine years in the United States, she is not accustomed to the Japanese culture and customs yet, something that causes many problems and bad impressions: she forgets to bow down and barely remembers how to use honorifics.  
She's naive around boys because of her lack of experience and she usually gets nervous around them, especially if she finds them attractive. Noa can also sometimes be a bit too proud and stubborn, firmly believing that she's right when not, so she doesn't listen to people and do as pleased. Yet, the worst thing about her is that she's really judging.

 **Occupation:** High school student (1st Year, Class 5)

 **Team:** Karasuno High

 **Number:** 10

 **Position:** Wing Spiker

 **Favorite food:** Ramen

 **Goals:** Going to Nationals and improving her volleyball skills

 **Current Concern:** Getting used to living with Miyoko and Daichi

 **Statistics** (out of 5)  
Power: 4  
Jump: 3  
Stamina: 5  
Strategy: 3  
Technique: 3  
Speed: 4

 **What do you think? Did you like it? Guess who's next! ;)**

 **Next chapter: Goals (although I may change the title. We'll see)**

 **~ See you next time!**


	17. Goals

**A/N: I'm back! First of all, thank you so much! I've reached more than 100 followers! Seriously, I can't believe it. Welcome everyone who favorited and followed this story the past few weeks.**

 **Yuuki no Yuki: I loved your review. Thanks for your beautiful words and advice. I didn't write all that because I wanted people to feel sorry about me, but I think depression is a sensitive topic and I was afraid some people could get the wrong idea. After all, each person deal with this kind of problems in different ways. Anyway, I'm glad you love this story. It's true that it's unfair how people is treating Noa. Her mother is sick after all and they should stop comparing them. Noa always tries to play it cool, but it affects her and Daichi and, especially, Miyoko have noticed, so they are going to support her as much as they can. However, all this 'mother and daughter' thing isn't over yet, but I want to focus from now on on the team. And omg... I can't believe you ship her with Asahi. Truth to be told, I'm planning some misunderstandings between them in a near future (in two or three chapters to be exactly), so I almost choke when I read that. But I won't spoil anything!**

 **Luna: I love Noa and Daichi's relationship too. Well, things are still a bit weird between them. They have to get used to their new situation, but they're progressing really fast.**

 **Anyway, at the end of the chapter you have a new character profile!**

 **Enjoy it!**

 **I do not own Haikyuu or its characters**

* * *

 **CHAPTER SIXTEEN**  
Goals

"So, you're going to miss the match against the Housewives Association?"

"That's right", Noa replied, stretching her muscles after the hard training.

It had been almost a week since her father and Miyoko got married. After the weekend when the wedding took place, the second semester began and, while Daichi and Noa had gone to class, their parents were enjoying their honey moon in Shirahama. However, both of them decided that Daichi and Noa should come to spend the weekend with them and have their first family vacation.

Noa was feeling nervous about it and it bothered her a lot. Because it was only a trip, but she felt that it was much more. She felt that the trip had another purpose rather than bind their ties as a family.

"In any case, I won't stay without doing anything. Shirahama has beach, so Hatsue-san has told me that I could go there to train a little bit. And that's what I'm going to do"

"You are so serious about it", Michimiya said.

"Well, I guess I have to. The Preliminaries are around the corner"

"I think this is the first time that I'm truly excited about playing", Ayako grinned as she helped her twin sister stretch.

During that week after the summer vacation, the girls trained hard. They arrived to high school early in the morning to do the drills Mori Hatsue had sent to Jiro when she couldn't attend practice. In the afternoon, however, they spent the hour and a half available completing the individual exercises the coach made for each of them to improve their physical condition.

And they were starting to give some results. After being tested by their coach on Thursday, they had started to improve their numbers. It wasn't enough yet, but all of them were hoping to get to the Preliminaries in good condition.

"Are we going to do something after practice?" Mayu asked while she stood up and started to tidy up the gym before the basketball team arrived. "It's Friday after all"

"We can't", Yoshino put some volleyballs in the metal carts. "The third-years, we are going to study for our exams"

"I'll stay here", Noa followed. "I have to wait for Daichi until he finishes practice and then we'll be heading to the station. But I'll make it up to you, Mayu-san"

The libero smiled, much more relieved after knowing that she could spend some time with one of her teammates from now on.

"I have plans already", Chizuko blushed. "I'm meeting Kento. I mean, my boyfriend"

Ayaka smirked. "And what are you going to do, huh?"

"He told me to stay in his house", the middle blocker fiddled with her fingers. "His parents are out for the weekend"

"OH", the whole team stared at Chizuko, her mouths hanging open by the surprise.

"I didn't know you were so daring, Chizuko-san", Noriko chortled. The Ace approached Chizuko and ruffled her hair.

"I-It's not what you think!", Chizuko flushed ,feeling uncomfortable.

"Yeah. Sure", Noriko rolled her eyes. She couldn't help but smirk, what made laugh the rest of her teammates.

"Come on, ladies!" Mori Hatsue clapped her hands. "Hurry up. I need to speak to you and there's not much time left until the basketball team arrives. Or have you forgotten that I told you I have something for you?"

The girls exchanged looks. It was true. Noa remembered the email she received from their coach last weekend, when she was at the wedding. For days, they had been speculating about what it could be, but the coach didn't give them any clue.

"Good", everyone gathered around the woman and Jiro once they finished tidying up the gym. "First things first, I have an important announcement to make", she smiled. "Aoyama-kun has got us a practice match against Kinga. It would take place there next week"

"Really!?"

"Well done, Aoyama-kun!"

"I-It's nothing", the boy rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassed.

"It's very likely that we play against them in the Preliminaries if we pass the second round, so it will be a good practice before the Preliminaries", Mori Hatsue made a pause. "In that match I'll choose the team I'll line up for the Preliminaries"

Everyone swallowed hard. The team didn't have many members. But it had eight players, what meant that one of them had to stay on the bench waiting for a good chance to play.

"But don't think about that. Not yet. Okay?", the coach followed as soon as she saw the girls' expressions. "I've made something for you"

The woman searched for something inside her bag until she took out of it several white envelopes. She gave one to each member, including Jiro who stared at the woman raising an eyebrow.

"Inside each of them I've written a message. It's personal. I want you to open it and read it now"

Noa stared carefully at the white paper. Slowly, she opened the envelope and took the paper which was inside. When she unfolded it, there was the drawing of a person spiking a ball. Or, at least, that's what she thought it was because it looked like as if it was made by a child.

"Who did this?" Noriko sweat dropped.

"What an artist you are, coach-san", Ayako teased.

Mori Hatsue crossed her arms. "What are you talking about, you unthankful brats!? My little daughter made them for you!"

"Megumi made them?" Noa looked at the drawing again and couldn't help but smile. That was so nice of her.

"Do you really have a daughter?" Jiro blinked in surprise.

"Whao... I didn't expect that", Ayaka added.

"You don't seem like that kind of person", Yui followed.

"What's that supposed to mean!?" The coach looked daggers at them. "My daughter is too excited about it, so she wanted to help me", she huffed.

"That's so nice", Mayu smiled.

"Maybe you should bring her some time", Chizuko suggested.

"We'll see..." Mori Hatsue narrowed her eyes, still a bit bothered by the team. "Hurry and read it"

Noa giggled. She then spotted a short and simple sentence at the bottom of the paper, written in perfect calligraphy.

 _Become the Ace_

Noa's eyes widened and her smiled faded. She was incapable of taking her eyes off that paper. What did that mean?

"From now on, these are your goals", Mori Hatsue spoke as if she was able to read Noa's mind. "I've been watching you during the last weeks and I know that you can achieve one day what I've written in those papers. I'd prefer if you don't share it with the rest of your teammates because the whole purpose of this would be meaningless. At some point of this journey we are doing together, I'll ask you to read it out loud in front of everyone. But I can't tell yet when that will happen"

Noa looked down and read the sentence again. Become the Ace. She glanced then at Noriko. The third-year was serious, more than usual. Like the rest of the team, she kept staring at the paper, but, suddenly, she raised her head, so Noa jumped a little bit by her senpai's sudden move. However, Noriko didn't notice her gaze and the Ace set her eyes on their coach. Noriko nodded eagerly, her eyes showing a level of pride and determination which shook Noa. Since she had met Noriko, the third-year was everything Noa dreamt of as soon as she started playing indoor volleyball. Noa whished that presence, that confident aura Noriko gave every time she was wearing the team uniform.

But, how was she going to become the Ace if she wasn't able to trust completely in her teammates yet? Although the Ace is the one who carries the team on the back and get points when the team needs them the most, the Ace also needs to rely on the team. Because, when the Ace fails, the rest of the team never turns their backs on the Ace.

However, Noa surrendered during their first and only practice match. Although it was a practice match against Itachiyama Academy, she gave up, she didn't fight. She didn't deserve becoming the Ace. So she wasn't sure at all that she could meet her coach's expectations.

The team left the gym in silence, unable to mutter any word. Noa was wondering what there was written on the letters of each of her teammates and if they could meet everyone's expectations as well. Yet, despite the pressure, the mood was different than usual. It was tenser, but everyone seemed to be full of the motivation that lacked at first. At that moment, they aimed to something; they had a goal to achieve. Going to the Spring High.

Noa was the last one to leave the locker room. After changing her clothes, she picked up her sport bag and her travel bag. Jiro had stayed in the gym, finishing putting away all the practice stuff, so she went search for him, but when she poke into the gym, the basketball team was already on the court. She turned around and walked through the campus, looking for a place to seat and wait for Daichi while enjoying the good weather.

After thinking carefully and after all the good things that had happened to her since she arrived to Japan, Noa came to the conclusion that she had been unfair with Jiro. Talking to Daichi during the wedding had made her realize that she couldn't blame others about her misfortune and, especially, that she couldn't expect everybody to solve her own problems when she wasn't being honest in the first place. That's when Noa realized that she hadn't treat Jiro well or thanked him for what he was doing for the team. He was taking seriously his role as a manager, more than everyone had ever imagined.

But, what should she exactly tell him? For days, Noa had been thinking about it. And, to be honest, apologizing wasn't her thing. In fact, she wasn't used to apologize because her pride was always on the way. So, that morning, during her Home Economics class, Noa put away the muffins she had baked, hoping to give them to him to make up for her behavior. Jiro was working hard, just like her. He even arranged practice matches. He had good intentions, but Noa had been incapable of seeing them.

Fortunately, while walking across the campus, Noa spotted him. Jiro was sitting in a bench, staring at the sky, his mind probably miles away.

"I'm glad I've found you", Noa approached him, smiling.

Jiro blinked, puzzled by the nice way she was addressing him, but then he smiled back. "Furi-chan! Have you come to keep me some company?"

"More or less", Noa shrugged. It wasn't a bad idea expending some time with him until Daichi finished practice.

The boy tapped the bench, so she could sit next to him, but Noa preferred to remain standing.

"I wanted to apologize"

"What are you talking about?" The boy asked, clearly amused by the situation.

"I'm being serious", Noa rolled her eyes.

"So do I, then. Why would you have to apologize?"

"Because I've been unfair to you". Jiro's expression turned into one more serious, willing to listen to her. "I've treated you badly", Noa looked down, ashamed by her behavior. "Before going to Tokyo and when we were in Tokyo, I told you terrible things because I was frustrated with myself. Because, even though I've said a thousand times that I want to be part of something, I've been the first one who has been selfish and had given priority to her own interests and feelings, instead of thinking about my teammates. But I'm changing. Or, at least, I want to change. I want to become a better person and that's why I want to apologize for doubting you and your abilities. If the team is here now, it's because of you", Noa blushed.

Jiro kept silent for a few seconds until he burst into laughter. At first, Noa started at him surprised, but, then, she frowned and clenched her fists in annoyance.

"What is so funny, you moron!?"

"I'm sorry", Jiro wiped the tears that were rolling down his cheeks with the palm of his hand as he couldn't control his own laughter. "Apologizing doesn't suit you at all, Furi-chan. But I'm glad to know that, actually, you're a sweet and sensitive girl"

Noa's face reddened. "Shut up!" She barked. "I was being completely honest with you and you are joking!" She pouted

Jiro sighed, feeling relieved. She was starting to act more like herself. "If that's what you want, I accept your apologies then"

"I even made you some muffins today in my Home Economics class", Noa huffed. "But I won't give them to you now!"

"Really?" Jiro leaned forward. "I want them!"

"No", Noa crossed her arms, pretending to be offended.

"You came here to apologize and, now, do I really have to beg you to give me some muffins that were baked for me in the first place?" Jiro raised an eyebrow, amused by her childish behavior. "Seriously?"

Noa jumped a little bit. She glanced sideways at Jiro, who was smirking. She hissed and, finally, she took out of her bag the container.

"Yay!" Jiro snatched it from her hands and opened it. "They have chocolate!" His eyes sparkled. "Itadakimasu!" He exclaimed as he took one of the muffins and took a bite. "Yummy! It's delicious!"

Noa smiled when she saw Jiro's enthusiasm. He looked like a child.

"I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours"

"Hmmm", Noa looked up. Jiro was staring at her intently, trying to read her mind.

"You've been down since the moment the coach gave us the letters, so I guess that's the problem"

"Isn't it supposed to be a secret?"

"Yes. But if you want to talk about it, I'm all ears", Jiro shrugged and, then, he took another bite, enjoying the taste of chocolate of the muffins. "We are teammates after all"

Noa's heart missed a beat. Did he have some kind of super powers?

"Don't worry. I'm fine"

Jiro didn't insist on the topic. He had been watching Noa carefully for days before talking to her for the first time, so he knew her better than she thought. He was sure that she would tell him what was bothering her when she was ready. Yet, he wished her doubts wouldn't affect her when playing.

Noa approached the bench to have a seat next to Jiro, but she had to go around the bicycle which was at the manager's feet.

"I didn't know you came here by bike", Noa spoke as she sat down.

"Well, I think I should be exercising more, especially since you all are working hard to get in shape. I'm not doing anything lately"

"You shouldn't exert yourself", a third voice spoke behind them.

"Oh! Nagi-chan!" Nagi-chan? "Furi-chan was keeping me some company while I waited for you. Doesn't it great?"

On the corner of her right eye, Noa spotted a male figure getting closer. When she stared at him, Noa's eyes widened. The most beautiful boy she had ever seen was standing in front of her. His features, the immaculate way he wore the uniform... Noa truly believed that she was dreaming. Someone so magnificent couldn't exist.

"He is Watanabe Nagisa. I've mentioned him before. He is one of the most popular boys in Karasuno!"

"Nice to meet you", he bowed his head, but he didn't dare showing not even a kind smile. His face had always the same bored and indifferent expression.

So he was the well-known Watanabe Nagisa... According to what she heard, almost every girl in Karasuno dreamt of dating him. Including Ayako, her salty setter. And that was impressive. But, on the other hand, Noa wondered what those girls saw in that Prince Charming. She thought that he was ridiculously beautiful and perfect in all possible ways that she even found it boring. There wasn't anything special about him. At least, not to her.

"Furihata Noa. Nice to meet you too", she replied. "We met your sister. She has helped us a lot"

"I know", he said in a gentle but monotonous tone.

Well, Nagisa and Aimi were siblings. They shared the same beauty and gracefulness, but, when it came to dealing with people, they couldn't be more different. Nagisa seemed like the shy and serious type while Aimi was talkative and caring.

"Do you want a muffin?" Jiro offered the container to his best friend, but the boy refused shaking his head. "They're pretty good!"

"You shouldn't be eating those"

Jiro rolled his eyes. "You worry too much about me, Nagisa. It's fine if I eat these. They are not processed baked muffins. Furi-chan made them for me in her Home Economics class"

Nagisa fixed Jiro with a piercing gaze. Noa watched them, uncomfortable by the situation between the two friends. She didn't understand what was going on.

"You can't eat them, Jiro? Is that so?" She asked hesitatingly.

Nagisa glanced at Noa, an eyebrow raised. Why the hell was she addressing his best friend in such a familiar tone?

"It's alright. I can. Don't worry". Jiro smiled reassuringly, but Noa noticed that Nagisa wasn't satisfied at all. "How was your meeting?" Jiro changed the topic, speaking to Nagisa this time.

"Fine. Like always"

"Nagisa is in the Student Council. He is the vice-president", Jiro explained to Noa, so she could understand what meeting they were talking about.

Noa smirked. Knowing that, in addition, Nagisa was the vice-president of the Student Council, being only a second year, turned him into the perfect boy to introduce to your parents. She looked at the boy up and down, curiously. So cliché. He was like a shojo manga character.

"Has Sanada-san gone to the meeting~?" Jiro asked teasingly, catching Noa's attention again.

Nagisa looked away, uncomfortable. "Don't"

"Sanada-san is a second-year and she is interested in Nagisa", Jiro leaned to his right so he could talk to Noa almost whispering, although loud enough for Nagisa to hear it. "She hasn't confessed yet, but she will". Jiro smirked. "And Nagisa is always kind to her. Will he accept her feelings~?

"No"

Jiro blinked. "Really?"

"I'm not interested in Sanada-san"

Jiro sighed. "One more girl to add to your list of broken-hearted"

"It's not my intention. Unlike you think, it's not easy for me to reject someone's feelings", Nagisa looked at Noa sideways and she jumped. "And we shouldn't be talking about this. You are going to make Furihata-san uncomfortable"

"Oh! Don't worry!" Noa replied. "I don't think you're a bad person for rejecting them. You don't have to date them if you don't like them. Besides, it would be a silly move because that's not going to make those girls happier. And, if it does, they are a bunch of idiots. It's pathetic dating someone who doesn't like you the same way. Then, they doesn't appreciate enough themselves"

Jiro and Nagisa stared at Noa in silence, what made her blush. She needed to shut her big mouth.

"Whao..." Jiro muttered. "You talk so wisely... Have you had many boyfriends before, Furi-chan?"

"W-What!?" Noa flushed. "No! Why would I!?"

"You are saying it as if having a boyfriend or a girlfriend was something bad", Jiro narrowed his eyes.

"N-No! It's just... I'm only fifteen. Why would I compromise? I don't even know what I want to study at university. Why would I be prepared to be in a relationship?"

"That's a good point", Jiro turned to face Nagisa. "Then, do you reject them because you aren't prepared to have a girlfriend, Nagi-chan?"

"I reject them because I don't like them", he grimaced.

"Ohh... You're harsh~!", Jiro moaned.

Nagisa sighed. "You are making me look like a bad person"

"Well, now I have to stand up for my team. And you rejected Ayako-chan last year!" Jiro pointed at Nagisa in an accusing way. "Chizuko-chan told us!"

"Ayako-chan?" Nagisa made a pause. Noa and Jiro's mouth dropped. He didn't know who his best friend was talking about! "Oh... I think you mean Harada-san, didn't you?" Jiro nodded. "That's true, I rejected her. But I don't think she was truly interested in me. She just liked my appearance. Like everyone else"

"Isn't that a bit presumptuous?" Jiro sweat dropped. "You haven't noticed, but you are a good student, serious and sensible, and you are always willing to help everyone. I'm not saying your pretty face doesn't help —because it does. A lot!—, but you have so many other good qualities. What do you think, Furi-chan?"

Noa startled. Why did Jiro have to ask her that question!? She fiddled with her fingers, wondering if she should be completely honest. But, when her gaze met Nagisa's, she noticed that he was staring at her anxiously. He wanted to know her opinion. The opinion of a girl he had just met and a girl who didn't know who he was.

"Well..." Noa thought carefully, searching for the right words. "First of all, I think Nagisa... I mean, Watanabe-san, wouldn't be someone I would take a liking to. Normally, people who are as beautiful as him don't attract me. They are so perfect that they are boring. What's more, beauty doesn't last forever. Dating someone, because that person is beautiful, is nonsense. And, although I won't deny being attractive can be important when two people first met, it doesn't matter to me how handsome a boy is. If he is empty on the inside, then he is not worth it"

The two boys kept quiet. Had she said something bad? Noa recalled her speech, word by word, until she realized that she had basically expressed bluntly that she didn't like Nagisa. Although she admitted at first that he was a good-looking boy. What was she thinking!?

"Oh my~", Jiro mumbled.

"Oh! I'm s-sorry", Noa stuttered. "I'm not saying you are just like that, Watanabe-san. It's just... Huh... It's only, well, an opinion. I don't know you and-"

"Noa!"

Saved by the bell.

Noa stood up immediately as soon as she heard someone calling her from afar. Nagisa stepped aside and Noa could see that it was Daichi who was approaching them. She checked her watch. It was later than she expected and she promised she would swing by the gym and pick him up, but she had forgotten.

"Finally I find you"

"I'm so sorry!" She apologized.

"It's fine. Are you with friends?" Daichi asked, smiling at the boys. "Watanabe-san", he added, greeting the second-year.

"Sawamura-san"

"I'm Aoyama Jiro!" The manager jumped and he placed himself in front of Daichi, invading his personal space. "I finally meet the boys' volleyball team captain! The girls talk about you so much!"

"R-Really?" Daichi blinked, a bit puzzled.

"Oh yeah! Noa's dad and your mum's wedding is the main topic right now!"

Daichi glanced at Noa, searching for some kind of explanation. That boy's excitement was something else.

"He is our manager", Noa explained as she rolled her eyes.

"I see... I'm Sawamura Daichi" Daichi smiled, still a bit uncomfortable, and bowed. "Please, take care of Noa"

"Well, I have to admit that it's the opposite most of the time. She is the one who takes care of me", Jiro giggled as he rubbed the back of his neck. "In fact, she baked some muffins for me!" The boy took the container, which was on the bench, and he offered them to Daichi. "Do you want to taste one? They are good! And you must be hungry after practice"

Daichi hesitated, but, at the end, he took one. "T-Thank you". Daichi turned around to talk to Noa. "We should go"

The girl nodded as she picked up her things from the bench.

"I hope you have a good time!", Jiro chirped happily.

"Keep me informed about everything that's happening during the weekend!"

"I will!"

Jiro waved at them while he and Nagisa watched them go.

"We should go too, Jiro-kun", Nagisa mentioned.

"Yes. You're right. Kawamoto-san is going to kill me if I don't arrive on time", Jiro picked up his bike from the floor. "I hope you don't think Furi-chan is a bad girl. She is sometimes a bit straightforward when she is speaking, but she doesn't mean any harm"

"It's fine", his friend replied, starting to walk towards the main entrance and looking forward. "I think she's nice", he put his hands in his pockets.

Jiro glanced sideways at his best friend and grinned. It was a weird introduction, but Jiro knew as well that Nagisa never lied to him.

Meanwhile, Noa and Daichi left the school at a good pace. They were ten minutes late and, if they didn't catch the bus on time, they could lose the train. So they should hurry.

"Hey!"

Both of them kept walking, ignoring that someone was calling them.

"Hey! Noa-san!"

Daichi and Noa stopped on their tracks and turned around. A young boy with blond hair was leaning against a gray car which was parked in front of the high school entrance. He was waving at them to catch their attention.

"Akiteru-san?"

"Who?" Daichi raised an eyebrow.

"He is Tsukishima's brother!" Noa ran excitedly towards the young boy. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to pick you up. I'm going to give you a lift to the station. Apparently, Miyoko-san called my mum to ask her if we could pick you up from high school because she was afraid her son —and I guess it's you—", he smiled at Daichi, "wouldn't finish practice until late"

"Why I'm not surprised..." Daichi sweat dropped. Her mum knew him so well.

Akiteru opened the car's trunk and they put there their travel and sport bags. Afterwards, Akiteru got in the car, followed by Daichi and Noa. However, before starting the car, Daichi, who was sitting next to Akiteru, rolled down the window and stuck his head out of it.

"Isn't that Tsukishima?"

Akiteru almost leaned on Daichi's body to have a better look. Tsukishima was crossing the entrance door, walking with his hands in the pockets of his tracksuit trousers while listening to some music.

"Kei!" Akiteru shouted."Kei!"

"He has his headphones on, I don't think he will list-"

Tsukishima glanced over his shoulder and he stopped when he saw his brother poking his head out of the car window to wave at him eagerly, almost squashing Daichi in the process.

Noa crossed her arms over her chest, annoyance getting the better of her. Despite the headphones, Tsukishima could hear if someone was calling his name, so it meant that, every time she had called him and he hadn't responded, he had ignored her. _What a moron_ , she thought, pouting like a child.

However, Tsukishima ended up ignoring his own brother and kept walking. Akiteru's mouth dropped and the young boy got out of the car. Either Daichi or Noa didn't know what the two brothers talked about. They couldn't hear them. Akiteru only waved his hands around while his own little brother tried to avoid him, but Tsukishima lost miserably against Akiteru and, finally, the first-year was dragged into the car.

"Alright! Let's get going!" Akiteru exclaimed, a huge smile on his face, as he started the car. His brother, on the other hand, rolled his eyes, forced to be there.

"You haven't stayed to do some extra practice?" Daichi asked, trying to be nice to the always sulky first year.

"Not today. We have a lot of homework"

"Oh! That's true! Now you mention it, I need your help in Japanese Modern Literature again!"

"No"

Noa looked daggers at him. "Hey! I don't like asking you this kind of favors, but Daichi and the third-years of my team have to study for their university access exams"

"If you don't like it, then, don't ask me. Ask Yamaguchi"

"I don't want to be a bother"

"But you _do_ want to be a bother to me" Tsukishima raised an eyebrow.

"Oi, oi", Daichi tried to stop them, feeling how the mood was getting tenser between those two.

"Why not?" Akiteru added. "Noa-san is our neighbor. You two are lucky because you live almost next to each other. You should be studying together. Ahhh… I wish I could have had one of my classmates living nearby", Akiteru grinned, recalling old memories. "We went to the public library to study. It's near the train station, so it takes long to arrive there. We wasted so much time getting there, a time we could have used to study for our exams"

"Tch", Tsukishima looked away. "Why would you go so far away when there's a library in high school?"

"You can come to our house whenever you want, Noa-san", Akiteru made pause. "And you too, Daichi-san!"

"T-Thank you", Daichi smiled sheepishly.

"Why don't you, instead of doing extra practice until late, come back home directly next Monday? As I see, Noa-san finishes practice before you do, so she can come to our house then"

"You seem too excited about it…" Tsukishima muttered.

"I think it's a good idea!" Noa crossed her arms. "Think carefully, Tsukishima, because, if you help me, I'll owe you one"

Noa was certain that she was going to regret that words as soon as she was pronouncing them. But, seeing that Tsukishima seemed satisfied with the situation made her grin proudly. Tsukishima smirked and Noa glanced at him discreetly, narrowing her eyes and trying to figure out what devilish plan was already in his mind. She had to be careful from now on because she was feeling they were starting a dangerous game.

"This trip will be perfect to rest a little bit before the Preliminaries. They are in two weeks!" Akiteru mentioned, breaking the silence. "Practicing too much isn't good for your bodies and you could injure yourselves"

"That's true. Our coach has told us something similar"

"Speak for yourlsef, Daichi", Noa followed. "My coach has been pretty clear and she wants me to keep excersing"

"And what are you going to do?"

"I'll go running in the morning. The beach sand is a good place to exercise"

"Then, maybe I'll go with you"

"But hasn't Ukai-san told you that you should rest, Daichi-san?"

"Yeah… You're right, Tsukishima", Daichi giggled nervously.

Akiteru stopped the car in front of the train station. The young boy got off the car, followed by Daichi and Noa, and he helped them with their bags.

"Shall I go with you towards the train platform?" Akiteru offered.

"It's not necessary. We don't want to bother you anymore", Daichi bowed. "Thanks for everything"

"Okay. See you, then", Akiteru turned around to get in the car again where Tsukishima was waiting for him, still sitting in the car. "I'm glad you seem in high spirits now, Noa-san!"

The young boy winked at her and closed the car door. Noa blushed lightly and waved at him until the car disappeared through the crowded streets near the station.

Before heading to the platform, Daichi approached to a vending machine to buy something to eat and drink. Through the PA system, a voice warned the last travelers that the Shirahama bound train would be departing in ten minutes, so Daichi hurried up.

After running through the station, they got in the train in time. They gave their tickets to one of the inspectors gathered in front of each car door and, then, they searched for their seats. Apparently, their seats were placed one in front of the other, separated by a table, and next to the window. Daichi took Noa's bags and put them in the luggage rack before sitting down.

Little by little, the train moved until it picked up speed. In a few minutes, the houses of Torono disappeared and only farm land could be seen.

Daichi rummaged in his backpack, his sudden move catching Noa's attention. Daichi glanced at her, noticing that she seemed to be daydreaming and a bit reflective while looking through the window.

"So… Muffins, huh?" Daichi mentioned nonchalantly as he took a text book from his backpack. Noa stared at him and he smirked, teasing a little bit and trying to raise her spirit. He thought everything was fine after talking in the wedding. She seemed fine. But, definitely, there was still something bothering her.

"Shut up", Noa spat, feeling how her cheeks turned red.

Daichi chuckled. But, as soon as he opened his text book to study during the journey, his amused expression turned into a more serious one. Noa narrowed her eyes and she put her elbow on the table, resting her head on her palm. Her gaze moved towards the window. The blue sky was darkening slowly. The days were already shortening.

It wasn't at all what Daichi was probably thinking. Actually, she couldn't stop thinking about the sentence her coach had written for her.

 _Become the Ace_

As if it was easy, a little voice snapped inside her head. First, she had to trust her teammates and, as much as she wanted to do it, during matches, she was being too individualist. But, then, she recalled Jiro's words.

 _"If you want to talk about it, I'm all ears. We are teammates after all"_

They were a team and, despite their differences, every one of them wanted to achieve the same goal, even though it was for different reasons. She could trust and rely on the people who were in the same side of the court. That's when she realized that, maybe, she should start trying.

* * *

 **Next chapter is 'All that matters'. Daichi and Noa will enjoy their first vacations together!**

* * *

 **CHARACTER PROFILE**  
MICHIMIYA YUI

 **Complete Name:** Michimiya Yui

 **Date of birth:** August 1st

 **Age:** 18

 **Height:** 159.63 cm

 **Weight:** 51 kg

 **Appearance:** She has short, dark brown hair. Her round eyes are a lighter shade of brown. She is short and she tends to gain weight if she eats too much or doesn't excercise enough, so she is very strict with her diet.

 **Personality:** Michimiya is a very active person, always smiling and cracking jokes. Yet, she acts shy, especially in front of they boy she likes and tends to get so nervous that she can't even talk properly. When that happens or when she felt that she is under pressure, she has the habit of slapping her cheeks to bring herself to think straight.  
She cares a lot for her team, giving them motivational speeches and always tries to stay composed in front of them. She only cries when she's away from her teammates. However, she isn't strict enough and that's something she regrets. That's why she decided to join in again the team.

 **Occupation:** High school student (3rd Year, Class 1)

 **Team:** Karasuno High

 **Number:** 1

 **Position:** Wing Spiker | Captain

 **Favorite food:** Natto with rice

 **Goals:** Redeeming herself as the captain of the girls' volleyball team

 **Current Concern:** She's been told lately her thighs are "sturdy"

 **Statistics** (out of 5)  
Power: 4  
Jump: 3  
Stamina: 4  
Strategy: 2  
Technique: 2  
Speed: 4

* * *

 **Definitely, this was the easiest profile to make because the information about Michimiya was released some time ago.**

 **~ See you next time!**


	18. All that matters

**A/N: Hello everyone! First of all, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. And yes, I know we're not in 2017 yet, but I don't know when I'm going to update, so I hope you're having a great time with your family and friends.**

 **Luna: Omg... You're not the first one to ship Asahi and Noa. What the hell is happening!? I won't spoil anything, but wait for next chapters because my poor baby Asahi is going to be stuck in the middle of a war -you'll know what I mean soon-. Anyway, thanks for your reviews. They always make my day. Noa is finally willing to grow and stop behaving as a child.**

 **Forgotten Cross: First of all, thanks for your beautiful review. I'll admit that getting reviews is encouraging, but I don't care as long as the few I get are as good as this one. I'm glad you like the story and that I introduced all characters gradually. At first I was afraid nobody would like it, especially since there are so many OCs, but I was wrong. The Preliminaries are around the corner, so there are going to be more interactions between teammates.**

 **rycmika: Hey! I'm glad you like this story. I write several fanfics at the same time and I try to update them regularly, so you'll have to be a bit patient for the next update.**

 **I do not own Haikyuu or its characters**

* * *

 **CHAPTER SEVENTEEN**  
All that matters

Noa stretched out her arm until she grabbed her mobile phone on the bedside table to turn it off. Despite the thunderous alarm clock, she heard Daichi, who was sleeping in the bed next to hers, mumble something she wasn't able to decipher, but he didn't wake up. Noa sat up, feeling her eyes a bit heavy, and she stretched out all her muscles, almost throwing herself out of the bed.

Just like she promised, she didn't want to waste time during that weekend in Shirahama. They arrived at the station at night, where their parents were already waiting for them. Together, they went to have dinner and, finally, much to Daichi and Noa's surprise, they went to the hotel, where thay had to share the same room.

Noa wouldn't deny it. She had experienced the most awkward moments of her life in that hotel room, when they were left alone. So, in some way, Noa felt grateful because Daichi was still sleeping. She could change clothes peacefully in the bathroom, without thinking that, on the other side of the door, was a 17 year old boy waiting for her.

She had brought everything she needed to exercise. She put her bikini on, black sport leggings, a violet sport top and her sneakers. Then, she tidied up her long black hair in a bun and she washed her face, her last attempt to wake up.

When she left the room, Daichi was still sleeping deeply.

The sky still showed certain shades of orange and pink, so the sun wasn't completely out. That explained why the weather was a bit colder than she expected, so she shivered when she felt the morning breeze on her skin. Noa jumped trying to warm up her body and she put her headphones on to listen to some music while running. She checked her watch and clicked one of its buttons, timing her morning run.

She didn't prepare any special itinerary for that morning. She just followed some signals on the road to arrive to the beach, what only took her about ten minutes. It was still early, but some couples, especially older people, were going for a walk, although some people definitely thought the same idea and found the beach the best place to do some sport.

If Noa was used to something, it was exercising on the beach sand. After many years practicing in California, she was used to the environment, recalling good memories right away. Using the sand demands various muscles in the body to come into play. Besides, the sand is kinder on the joints than running in the pavement because there is less impact on the body as it's constantly shifting and changing. That's how she managed to get her athletic body.

Yet, she was aware of the fact that she wasn't in shape like before. When she was in the United States, she was able to run in the sand without any problem, but, at that moment, she was feeling that she was starting to feel exhausted sooner than before. She had to mix up her run by moving into the softer sand for a minute and then moving back into the harder sand, almost like doing an interval workout. On the other hand, she treaded carefully and went at a slower pace than what she was used to. That made her furious and she came to the conclusion that, from now on, she would go running every time she could.

 **…**

When Daichi woke up that morning, Noa wasn't there. He guessed the girl was already downstairs, having breakfast, so he got dressed and went to the hotel restaurant. However, much to his surprise, he only found Furihata Hayate sitting in one of the tables.

"G-Good morning", he greeted sheepishly, still a bit uncomfortable around Noa's father presence.

As soon as Daichi spoke, the man raised his eyes from the newspaper and nodded, what Daichi read as an unspoken 'Good morning'. Hesitant, Daichi decided to sit down in front of Hayate after helping himself to some food for breakfast.

"Do you think it will take Noa long to get ready?" Hayate asked as he flipped the page before sipping some coffee. "She is going to miss breakfast"

"Noa wasn't in the room. I thought she would be with you"

And then there was silence. Hayate stared at Daichi, what made the young boy startled and he swallowed hard.

"And where is supposed to be my daughter?"

Daichi opened his mouth to answer. If Noa wasn't with him or her father… He blabbered something, trying to say something, but that only made Hayate's anger rise. Fortunately, Daichi suddenly remembered what Noa told him the day before, so he jumped a little bit.

"Oh! Yes!" He snapped his fingers. "She told me she had the intention of running in the morning. She must be on the beach"

Hayate clicked his tongue in annoyance, but Daichi guessed his explanation was enough because the man kept reading the newspaper. "She should have warned us. That girl…"

Daichi pressed his lips in a thin line. As much as he wanted to be on Noa's side, her father was right. She should have warned them. She could have woken him up and told him. Although he could suspect that Noa hadn't told him because she was sure that he would have gone with her. And she wasn't wrong.

"By the way, where's my mother?" Daichi asked. As soon as they talked about Noa's absence, he realized that his mum wasn't there either.

"You mother?" Hayate blinked. "She…" He made a pause and licked his lips before answering. "She is having a shower. You know how women are… They need some time to get ready"

Daichi nodded. But, as strange as it could be, he felt that Hayate hesitated before answering his question. Maybe he wasn't being honest and that worried Daichi much more. Was his mum okay?

"We are not going to the beach this morning", Hayate informed him before Daichi could add something else. "Your mother needs to do... Something. So I think it would be a good idea if you spend all morning with Noa. We'll be waiting for you here to have lunch". Daichi nodded. That was a good idea. "Please, bring her something to eat"

Daichi stood up and bowed. He went back to the room where he changed his clothes. He put his red swim trunks on and a black t-shirt. He prepared a backpack with two towels and he went to the restaurant again. Hayate wasn't there anymore. He took a pair of bread rolls and left the hotel. He needed to find Noa and he guessed she was exercising on the beach, just like she told him the day before.

Daichi had never been in Shirahama before, but, definitely, it was a place he wanted to visit again. Its 800 meter long beach is one of Izu's most popular attractions. People come every year to enjoy the sand and sun, while the area is also known for relatively good surfing conditions.

Many people, especially surfers, were enjoying the crescent-shaped white-sand beach. But, despite that, Daichi managed to spot Noa easily. She was stretching near a group of boys playing beach volleyball. But, before approaching her, he bought some milk yogurt in one of the several shops alongside the beach.

"I'm glad I've found you", he said as he approached Noa then. She raised her head and smiled. "I think your father almost collapsed when he found out that you wasn't in the hotel room. It's a good thing I remembered that you told me you wanted to go for a run while we are here", Daichi offered the milk yogurt he had bought.

"Thanks", Noa almost snatched it from his hands. She was thirsty after all the hard work. "And I'm sorry. You were so peacefully slept… I couldn't wake you up"

"Yeah…" Daichi rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassed by the fact that Noa had seen him sleeping. "I've brought towels to stay here all morning. We'll be having lunch with my mum and your dad. Are you wearing your swimsuit?"

"Yes", Noa rummaged in the backpack Daichi brought with him and she took one of the bread rolls. Her eyes sparkled. "But I'm sweating… I should have a shower"

"I think that can wait. I want to enjoy the sea"

"Whatever", Noa replied, her mouth full until she swallowed the last piece of bread roll.

Next and if it wasn't a big deal, Noa took off her clothes. Daichi blinked confused as she was getting undressed so naturally, wearing a skimpy fuchsia bikini which emphasized her tanned skin. She was skinny, but it was obvious that it was the result of doing sport in a high level because her thighs and arms were more muscular compared to an average girl.

"Hey!" Noa snapped her fingers in front of Daichi's face, so he startled. "Are you going to get into the water like that or are you going to take your shirt off?"

"Huh… Yeah"

Daichi blushed. He had stared at Noa longer than necessary. The funny thing about it was that, probably, Noa didn't even realize how attractive she could be. Not only Daichi was looking at her, but the boys playing beach volleyball next to them had stopped and were staring at Noa with not so innocent eyes. So, before approaching Noa, who was already waiting for him in the seashore, Daichi looked over his shoulder, giving them a death glare. Daichi's expression made the boys startled, scared by Daichi's threatening aura. However, Daichi noticed that one of them hold a stare and smirked. Daichi frowned. If that guy wanted war, he was willing to give it to him.

Suddenly, Daichi felt cold water splashing in his back. He jumped as he shivered and turned around to see how Noa was laughing mischievously. She splashed playfully more water making Daichi swear because of how freezing cold the sea water was.

They had fun. Although Daichi felt uncomfortable sometimes because of Noa closeness due to the fact that he wasn't used to such proximity. But Noa was so cheerful and outgoing that it was impossible for him to feel bad for more than two seconds. They competed to know who could swim faster, they ducked each other… And they laughed like never before. Because, despite of being forced to live together, they had promised they would give their best so that the marriage and the family would succeed.

Once they got out of the water, Noa took one of the towels. As she was toweling off, Daichi noticed that Noa didn't take her eyes off the group of boys who were playing beach volleyball near them. And he didn't like it at all. Because he witnessed how they had been staring at her and he was sure that the brown-haired guy with an under-cut would find the perfect excuse to talk to her if he noticed her gaze.

"Hey, girl! Do you like what you see?"

Daichi rolled his eyes. _There he goes…_

"W-What?" Noa stuttered, her cheeks turning red.

"I asked you if you like what you see" he repeated, smirking.

"Well… I-I like beach volleyball"

 _Oh crap_ , Daichi thought. Noa was too innocent.

"Do you want to play?"

"Sure!" Noa's eyes sparkled. "But you are four. If I'd play, you'd be an odd number"

"It doesn't matter. One of them can be the referee"

The boy's friends nodded eagerly.

"Only one?" Noa blinked confused. "But I'm with him", she pointed at Daichi who crossed his arms over his chest and grinned proudly.

"Well, but I wanted to play with you. You know, like a team", the boy shrugged. "A pretty girl like you has to be in the winning team. If you play with him, well… I'll try to go easy on you, but…

"Are you suggesting that we are going to lose?" Noa chuckled.

"You sound too confident about it, don't you think?"

"I could say exactly the same", Noa smirked. "What's more, what if you four play against just the two of us?"

"Oi, oi", Daichi stepped forward. According to what he saw while they were playing, they weren't experts, but they didn't play badly either. Noa was going too far.

The boy burst into laughter. "Are you kidding me?" Noa shook her head no. "I'm not a cruel person, so let's do this. He", the boy pointed at one of his friends, the one who wasn't clearly in shape, "He is going to play in your team. Let's play 3 vs 3. What do you think?"

And that's how, through no fault of his own, Daichi ended up playing a beach volleyball match for the first –and probably last– time in his life.

The other team was serving. The under-cut guy started off with a decent serve. Daichi received, sending the ball to the setter position. The boy who was playing with them tossed it and, before anyone could blink, Noa had already spiked it.

"Whoa! That was a really good toss!" Noa exclaimed happily as she raised her fists. "What's your name?" Noa asked to the boy, who was still startling.

"W-Watari Rei", he stuttered.

"Well, Watari Rei, your tosses feel weird, but a good weird!" She chirped.

"Quit chatting!" The under-cut boy barked, a hint of annoyance in his voice. "We haven't even started yet. That was pure luck!"

But it wasn't.

Daichi had only seen Noa play one day, in the high school gym, when she played with them to prove to the members of the girls' volleyball team what she was capable of. She made many mistakes that day. But what he was seeing at that moment was completely different. Noa was moving in the sand easily, tireless. She was much shorter than the boys they were playing against to and, despite that; she was capable of spiking almost every ball. If she didn't score, it wasn't because they blocked her spikes, but because she failed.

Daichi, just like the rest, couldn't help but look at her, his eyes widening. If she managed to adapt her moves to the court, she would be unstoppable. She would be a player to fear in next competitions.

Point by point, she kept spiking. While the rest were already exhausted after the effort made, Noa was still full of energy, even more than before.

"Who… Who the hell are you?" They under-cut boy asked, puzzled. He couldn't believe that tiny girl had given them a real trashing.

"Sawamura Daichi and Furihata Noa. We both play in Karasuno's volleyball teams!" Noa grinned, full of satisfaction.

So the group of boys ended up giving up. They didn't want to play anymore. And, truth to be told, Noa and Daichi didn't want to either. They had to get back to the hotel to have a shower and meet their parents to have lunch.

"Have you seen that!?" Noa pointed at her left while they were walking towards the hotel. "It's a karaoke!"

"So what?" Daichi asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I've never been to any before. We should go!"

"No way"

"Why not?" Noa pouted. "Come on… We'll have fun! I'm a fantastic singer! You'll see!"

Daichi clicked his tongue and rolled his eyes. "Would you like going after dinner?"

"Yay!" Noa beamed happily, what made Daichi laughed. She was like a child.

 **…**

They had lunch in a fancy restaurant in from of one of the beaches of the area. The view was breathtaking, especially because they could see from afar one of the many temples Shirahama has.

Noa felt at peace.

They didn't speak much during lunch, but, at least, Miyoko was interested in what Daichi and Noa had been doing the whole morning. She was excited to see that both of them were getting along so well.

"I want to go to the karaoke!" Noa exclaimed.

"A karaoke?" Miyoko blinked in surprise.

"There's a karaoke near the hotel and Noa wants to go", Daichi explained. "She says she's never been in one"

Noa nodded eagerly, so Miyoko laughed.

"I was wondering if we could go after having dinner", Daichi added. "If that's okay"

"Oh", Miyoko seemed surprised. "Just the two of you?"

"I think so?" Daichi replied as he shrugged.

His mother clapped her hands happily. "It's so good you want to spend time together to get to know each other well. It's fantastic! Of course you can go! What do you think, Hayate?"

Miyoko turned to get a response from her husband, but he only nodded quietly. So, while Miyoko was being nice, on the other hand, Hayate preferred to remain silent. Noa couldn't help but wonder what was on his mind.

Her father wasn't the talkative type, but she could feel that he was tenser than usual. And she couldn't tell if that was a good or a bad thing. In fact, his attitude was pissing her off. He was the first one to tell her that she should behave properly, that she should give a chance to that family. And there he was, sitting on that chair, surrounded by his oh-so-beloved family and silent, all his attention set on his food which seemed to be to him a most interesting subject rather than the conversation Daichi, Miyoko and Noa were having.

"Are you going to tell us what's wrong with you or shall we figured it out ourselves?"

As soon as Noa hurled those words she realized that she had said out loud what she was actually thinking. And, because of that, everyone was looking at her, puzzled expressions on their faces.

She smiled sheepishly and opened her mouth to immediately apologize, especially to her father. He seemed mad. However, Miyoko sighed as she put the chopsticks on the table. The woman put her elbows on the table and then she rested her chin on her palms.

"You're so intuitive sometimes that you almost scare me, Noa-chan", Miyoko smiled gently.

"What? Is something wrong?" Daichi asked, frowning.

"I think it's high time you know the whole truth", Miyoko patted Hayate's arm as he stiffened. "This vacation has another purpose"

"We already know that. This is supposed to join us together as a family", Daichi replied as it was crystal clear. But by the way her mum and Hayate exchanged looks made him realize that there was something else. He was completely wrong.

"Oh my God…" Noa mumbled. "Please, tell me this has nothing to do with the locked room at home". Her father looked away and Miyoko giggled nervously. "I KNEW IT!"

"W-What?" Daichi couldn't understand what was going on. "Why am I the only one who doesn't understand what is happening? What has that room to do with anything?" Daichi glanced at his mother, puzzled. "You told me it was only some kind of store room"

"Oh. My. God", Noa repeated, her eyes widening.

"W-Wha-", Daichi was confused. He wanted to ask what was going on, but her mother grabbed his hands gently and squeezed them affectionately.

"Daichi..." Miyoko smiled apologetically. "I'm pregnant"

Daichi and Noa went blank. Finally, they were able to understand everything and, definitely, that locked room was going to be the room for the baby. How could they have been so innocent and believe their excuses?

As soon as they saw their expressions, Miyoko and Hayate exchanged worried looks.

"We are-"

"Why didn't you tell us?" Noa demanded, frowning and cutting off her father.

"Well..." Noa's father rubbed the back of his neck, feeling uncomfortable.

"We were afraid of how you'd react", Miyoko confessed.

"That's stupid", Noa spat. "Why would we be upset about it?" Noa looked at Daichi, expecting some kind of support and he nodded. "However, you've been lying to us all this time. At the wedding, you didn't want me to help you get dressed. It was because you already knew you were pregnant, didn't you?"

Miyoko nodded, so Noa hissed. She couldn't believe she didn't realize before.

"Mom, how far along are you?" Daichi asked, realizing how many times he had seen his mom in the past weeks wearing loose clothes.

"Four months"

Daichi and Noa's mouths dropped. Miyoko didn't have much belly. Or, at least, that's what they thought. As if Miyoko could read their minds, discreetly, she smoothed out the loose dress she was wearing, showing them her round belly.

Daichi and Noa exchanged looks. They were still getting used to living under the same roof. And, if they thought the situation couldn't get any weirder, now they were going to have a brother or a sister. _A half_ -brother or sister. Yet, their hearts were beating fast, full of happiness. Both of them were only child, but, since that moment, they not only had each other, but a little person to look after in five months.

"Say something", Hayate spoke, expecting the two teenagers would say something.

"Tell us how you feel", Miyoko insisted.

"Humm..." Daichi shrugged. "I feel weird. And I guess Noa too", the young girl nodded eagerly. "I don't understand why you hid something like this from us. The fact that you were scared that we would feel bad about it isn't even a good excuse. We are not children. We understand what means that you two are a couple. You are married now. You are still young. Things like this happen". Daichi made a pause. "The point is that it's not normal that it has taken you so long to tell us. Are you aware of the fact that you've created many misunderstandings because of that?"

Miyoko and Hayate exchanged looks for a few moments. At the end, Miyoko smiled. "I'm sorry"

"You are always telling us that we should be honest with you, that we should try to become a family, but you are the first ones who should be setting an example", Daichi sighed and then he faced his own mother. "This morning, you didn't have breakfast with us because you didn't feel well, did you?"

"That's right. I'm having some trouble, but there's nothing to worry about"

"You should have told us", Daichi clicked his tongue. "We could have helped you with the move. You did it all alone, mum"

"It doesn't matter. I'm pregnant, not disabled. Besides, Sumiko-san helped me a lot. You have nothing to worry about"

"Sumiko-san?" Noa swore she had heard that name before.

"Yes. She is our neighbor. You know her, Noa-chan. She's the mum of Daichi's teammate. The taller one who wears glasses"

 _Tsukishima's mum?,_ Noa thought. Did he know about the pregnancy since the beginning?

Noa crossed her arms and frowned. She doubted it. Because they weren't friends and that four-eyes could be many things, but not a nosy. So, definitely, he didn't know about it and, in a way, Noa felt relieved. Because if Tsukishima had known before her, she would have killed him for not telling her. And she was too young to go to jail.

After all the shock created by the brand new information, that afternoon, they spent a family day on the beach. They enjoyed the water, the waves, and Miyoko didn't stop taking photos. Daichi wanted to run away from his mother, but she insisted on how happy she would be if she could have an album of their first vacation together, what amused Noa so much. Because, although she didn't especially like photos, she could never say 'no' to Miyoko. She was always too kind to her.

They ended up being exhausted, but, despite that, Daichi kept his promise and, after dinner, he asked their parents for permission to go to the karaoke.

Noa felt excited. It was September, but there were still a lot of tourists in Shirahama, so the streets were crowded.

"Are the karaokes like in the anime?" Noa asked while Daichi opened the establishment door and invited her to come in first. _Such a gentleman._

"I guess?"

They approached the counter where a young girl, who seemed busy filling some papers, raised her head as soon as she noticed their presence. She smiled gently.

"We want a karaoke box", Daichi spoke before the girl could even say 'hello'.

"Okay". The girl checked something on the computer before adding, "We have a pair of free rooms. Would you mind if you use the smaller one?"

"No. It's fine. It's just the two of us"

"Oh. That's wonderful! Because this week we have a discount for couples", the girl winked at Daichi. "So it will be cheaper"

Daichi blinked astonished. "What? We are n-"

"That's great!" Noa chirped happily, putting her arm around Daichi's shoulders. He looked puzzled at her and she smiled innocently.

The girl registered their names and, when Daichi paid, they searched for the karaoke box.

"You shouldn't have done that", Daichi scolded her, frowning.

"What?" Noa shrugged, grinning innocently. "She doesn't know that you are my stepbrother and, what's more, if it's going to be cheaper because she thinks we are a couple, that's even better". Noa sat in one of the couches of the karaoke box they booked.

"Do you want something to drink?" he asked as he grabbed the phone available in the room.

"A strawberry milkshake would be fine"

"Roger"

"You know, you're too serious sometimes. You should loosen up a little bit and today is the day". Noa took a book which was on the table and leafed through it. The list of songs was long and varied, although she didn't know most of them. "This is so unfair...", she muttered.

Daichi took a seat next to her after ordering the drinks. He glanced over Noa's shoulder and he could imagine what she was thinking. "Well, you've spent many years living in the United States. It's normal that you don't know most of the songs, even though many of them are classics". Daichi took a look and pointed at one of the songs. "What about this one? Are you brave enough to start singing this song?"

"Do I really have to be the first one to sing?"

"You wanted to come to a karaoke in the first place. It's the least you can do"

"Okay..." She took the microphone. "But I'm warning you! If you don't love me yet, you'll do it after listening to me", she teased him, grinning proudly.

"Then, it's a risk I'm willing to take"

Daichi chuckled and watched how Noa stood up to make the performance of her life. And, definitely, it was. During the whole song, Daichi had to control his laughter, but it was impossible. Noa frowned when Daichi began howling with laughter. He clutched his sides, head held high as he ungraciously snorted.

Noa put her hands on her hips. "What it's so funny?"

"You've murdered the song!" He replied, still laughing. Did she really think that her singing was fine?

"Hey! My singing is not _that_ bad"

"Really? Because I'm almost sure that I've heard how the cars' alarm went off"

Noa rolled her eyes. "Alright, music genius. It's your turn then", Noa dropped the microphone and sat down, her arms crossed over her chest.

Daichi wasn't a better singer, so Noa could make fun of him just like he did before. Yet, despite of the lack of skills in their singing, Daichi and Noa sang more than once and even made duets. While Noa was too serious about it, as if singing those songs was a matter of life and death, Daichi couldn't help but laugh about it. Noa hit him for that and, although Daichi didn't do it on purpose, that only made him laugh even more. After all, going to the karaoke was a good idea. Because they were having a fun and it was much easier getting to know each other as well.

They dropped down into the couch while they were still laughing about the choreography she had just invented during the last theme. Once they calmed down and regained their composure, both went silent. Noa clicked her tongue. They had been avoiding the topic, but it was high time to have a conversation about what had happened at lunchtime.

"We are going to have a brother or a sister", Daichi let out suddenly, as if he could read Noa's mind. "I don't how I could be so innocent and not notice anything"

Noa tapped gently Daichi's back. "Stop thinking about it. I guess sometimes we prefer to remain blind to the obvious"

"I know. But what bothers me is that they are still thinking that we are children and the fact that they lied to us. They should have told us before"

Daichi kept talking, but Noa's attention was driven towards her mobile phone, which buzzed while Daichi explained her how he felt. It was an email from Jiro, what meant that the practice match against the Housewives Association was over

* * *

From: Aoyama Jiro

To: Furihata Noa

WE WON!

* * *

Noa giggled and typed back.

* * *

From: Furihata Noa

To: Aoyama Jiro

YAY!

* * *

She wasn't expecting a reply, but, a few seconds later, her phone buzzed once again.

* * *

From: Aoyama Jiro

To: Furihata Noa

You should have seen Noriko-chan during the match  
They have awoken the beast!  
It was awesome! It's impossible to have a better Ace!

* * *

Noa froze. During the day, they'd been through a lot, so her thoughts on what her coach had written in that piece of paper were forgotten. She truly believed she had got over it, but Jiro's email, however, had brought to light again those insecurities she thought gone.

Noa swallowed hard. Instead of putting her mobile phone on the table, she put it in her purse, not wanting to receive none other email from Jiro or any other team member. Being the Ace implied many responsibilities. She was a first-year; she had just joined the team. She had a lot of things to learn. And she truly wanted to try it, but she couldn't. She couldn't try when Noriko was proving why she was the Ace in the first place.

Daichi stopped talking a while ago. He stopped when he noticed that Noa's smiling expression had faded away.

"Are you alright?" He asked. Whatever she had read on her mobile phone, it couldn't be good news.

Noa jumped a little bit. "Oh. Yeah. I'm fine", she answered, faking a smile.

Daichi furrowed his brow. He wasn't buying it. But Noa didn't want to tell him anything because he had already helped her a lot and she didn't want to take advantage of his kindness. Besides, she thought that she should give meaning to the sentence 'Become the Ace' all by herself. And she couldn't ask for help to anyone.

"No. You're not fine"

"Yes, I am. Jiro just told me that they have won the practice match. Why should I feel bad about it?"

Noa stood up to take the microphone once more. Daichi stood up as well, but he grabbed her by the shoulders and forced her to look at him. Noa opened her mouth, but she couldn't say anything when she saw Daichi's expression. He was upset.

"So everything wasn't worth it?"

"Daichi…" Noa mumbled, guessing what he meant.

"During the wedding, I opened up to you. I was pretty honest, Noa. And after all, it isn't enough. It's never enough. I told you that you could tell me everything"

Noa frowned. Why was he putting so much pressure on her?

"Stop it. There's nothing to tell"

"You always say the same, so we both know that right now you are not telling the truth. You can trust me"

It was that she didn't trust him –because she did–, but she didn't feel like talking about it, not at that moment. She didn't feel like talking about her insecurities when they were having so much fun. Besides, she didn't have to share everything with Daichi. It didn't work like that.

"I know that, damn it!" Noa pushed Daichi away. "You don't have to repeat it because I already know that!" Noa lowered her head. "Don't act as if you care when we are not even blood related. We are nothing", she muttered, her gaze fixed on the floor.

Noa didn't dare raising her eyes because, as soon as she pronounced those words, she knew they hurt Daichi. And, if she had looked at him, she would have seen Daichi's expression. He was puzzled but, at the same time, hurt.

Noa closed her eyes, waiting for Daichi to shout at her, to tell her how mean and selfish she was, but he didn't speak a word. And that was worse than a scolding.

Daichi picked up his things and he left the karaoke box, shutting the door with a thud.

In the next hours they spent in Shirahama, Daichi behaved naturally in front of their parents, but he didn't speak to her when they were alone. He didn't even look at her. Meanwhile, Noa stared at him, pleading, with a lump in her throat, but unable to apologize.

Why did her stubbornness always have to ruin everything? Why couldn't she think before speaking?

With that attitude, she was keeping the people she cared about away. And, if she lost Daichi, she would lose a part of her. Because, if someone supported her the most, it was Daichi for sure. And she had repaid him in the worst possible way. When he stopped talking to hear, she realized that all her worries and insecurities were those of a little girl. Because she wouldn't be able to become the Ace if she didn't try it, at least. Because she couldn't trust her teammates if she didn't start to talk to them honestly. And it entailed starting to behave as an adult. That's how she realized that was all that mattered.

* * *

 **Well, Daichi is a bit upset, but it wouldn't last long.**

 **Here you have another OC profile. It's the Ace turn!**

* * *

 **CHARACTER PROFILE**  
NAGANO NORIKO

 **Complete Name:** Nagano Noriko

 **Date of birth:** April 30th

 **Age:** 18

 **Height:** 175.10 cm

 **Weight:** 65 kg

 **Appearance:** Noriko is the tallest member of the girls' volleyball team. Despite its advantages when it comes to playing volleyball, she actually doesn't like being that tall, especially when she is taller than most of her classmates.  
She has hazel eyes and dark blond hair. It's long, so she hates when it covers her face, so she always tidies it up in a ponytail. However, she wouldn't cut it.

 **Personality:** Noriko's personality can be called bipolar. She can be very nice and cute but in the next second can become the total opposite if something goes wrong. She hates people who abuse of others' weaknesses, so she will pretty much punch them if she sees them doing bad things to someone. In other words, people around must be aware. What's more, most of the time she tries to keep a cool attitude around the others but she can get pretty silly with close people.  
But even under all that anger is a very weak heart that totally desires love and some affection sometimes. She is helping always with everything she can if someone really needs her and she feels it's someone who's worth the help.  
When playing volleyball she turns out to be a confident person. She truly believes in her possibilities and doesn't fear failing during a match because she thinks that her teammates are going to support her no matter what.

 **Occupation:** High school student (3rd Year, Class 3)

 **Team:** Karasuno High

 **Number:** 2

 **Position:** Wing Spiker | Ace | Vice-captain

 **Favorite food:** Omurice

 **Goals:** Help Yui improve her lack of vocabulary, especially when she's around Daichi

 **Current Concern:** What will the Karasuno cafeteria menu have this week?

 **Statistics** (out of 5)  
Power: 5  
Jump: 3  
Stamina: 4  
Strategy: 2  
Technique: 2  
Speed: 3

* * *

 **I don't have a title for next chapter yet, but many things are happening!**

 **~ See you next time!**


	19. Bring it on

**A/N: Hello everyone! It's been a long time. I hope the wait has been worth it. I've enjoyed so much while writing this chapter, so I hope you like it.**

 **ArchimedesAckemann: Awww thank you so much! Your review made me really happy. Well, you're right, Noa is very immature and she is showing more of that childish behavior in this chapter. **

**Luna: hahahaha I'm so sorry. Daichi and Noa have just met, so I think it's normal what's happening between them. They'll learn eventually how to understand each other. And omg Asahi... Okay, here you have a little spoiler: he's going to make an apperance next chapter. My poor baby... He doesn't know where he's getting himself into...**

 **AcePanda431: Well... Maybe I was thinking about dropping some hints because I want to focus especially on Noa and the girls' volleyball team instead of a romantic relationship, but we'll see. I tend to change things when I'm writing, so it might happen in the future. Now I'm curious, who do you ship Jiro and Noa with? Many readers told me that they ship Noa and Asahi haha**

 **Thanks to everyone who has followed and favorited this story in the past few days!**

 **I do not own Haikyuu or its characters**

* * *

 **CHAPTER EIGHTEEN**  
Bring it on

Noa bowed as she gave the coach of the basketball team the keys of the gym. Then, she hurried towards the door where Mayu was waiting for her to go to the locker room.

Both girls stayed in the gym practicing on their own until the boys of the basketball team arrived. The rest of their teammates were already gone, but Jiro decided to stay with them. However, Mayu and Noa had to put away all the equipment. Lately, the manager seemed busier than before and he rushed everywhere riding his bike.

While Mayu and Noa walked to the locker room, Jiro appeared biking at high speed.

"See you tomorrow, my beloved warriors~!" He chirped as soon as he saw them out of the corner of his eyes.

Mayu giggled. "Be careful, Jiro-kun"

"You too!" He yelled, quickly disappearing in the distance.

Noa smiled to herself. She didn't know when it happened, but everyone had started to understand each other well. Noa learnt what she had to do when Ayako was in a bad mood –what was almost all the time–, Jiro knew how to cheer Chizuko up when she thought she couldn't do better, all of them had learnt how to bear with their eccentric manager and, in conclusion, they realized that they could have fun if they were together. Practice was tough and they knew that they should be working hard to achieve their goals, but being in the volleyball team wasn't a torture or an obligation anymore, especially for the third-years. It was something to have fun.

In a few minutes, Noa and Mayu were ready to go home. They left the locker room and walked through the campus. The libero stopped next to one of the vending machines in the campus and inserted some coins.

"Do you want something? It's my treat"

"No, thank you", Noa smiled gently.

Mayu took the green tea can and sighed, sitting in a near curb. "I'm exhausted". Noa nodded, taking a seat next to her. "When I get home, I don't even feel like doing homework. I just lie down on my bed and stare at the ceiling for hours"

"I guess it's only a matter of time. You'll get used to this new routine"

"I hope so", Mayu stretched out her arms. "I have a lot of stiffness in muscles I didn't know they even existed"

"If that's so hard for you, you should go easy next time. You don't have to stay longer with me"

"Oh. I don't mind", Mayu shrugged. "I stay because I have fun with you"

Noa glanced at her. Mayu sipped her drink; her gaze lost somewhere else and her feet tapping the ground all over again. And again. Noa bit her bottom lip, but she preferred to remain silent. She had noticed before. Mayu seemed more nervous than usual. During the morning practice and in the afternoon, she was all worked up, but Noa couldn't guess what was exactly going on.

"You'll get better quickly if you keep working like this", Noa added, but Mayu only hummed in response.

During the next minutes, both girls remained sat in the curb, in a comfortable silence. The sky was starting to turn into different shades of orange and violet and the cool breeze of September caressed their faces. That was the first time they sat to rest a little bit after practice, but it felt like something they'd been doing for years.

"Didn't you feel uncomfortable when everyone started the questioning about your trip to Shirahama?" Mayu asked.

"No. It's fine!" Noa smiled.

During all day, her teammates had been bombarding her with questions about her week-end in Shirahama. They wanted to know what she had done, what places she had visited and, especially, they wanted to see pictures and knew how Daichi was out of school. Noa tried to answer all of their questions honestly, although she decided to keep some details for herself. It was only the beginning of the week, but, since last Saturday night, in the karaoke, Noa and Daichi hadn't talked more than necessary. And Noa was so worried about it.

"I'm so jealous…" Mayu moaned. "Not only have you a stepbrother, but you are going to have now a half-brother or sister. I've always wished I had siblings"

"Me too", Noa giggled. "But, you know; after being an only child for so long, now I'll have to learn how to be a big sister!"

"Well, you have Daichi. He seems serious"

"Yeah…" Noa lowered her head. She truly wanted to apologize to Daichi after what happened, but she was incapable of doing it. When they ran into each other in the hallway of their house, Noa didn't usually move. She stayed in the middle of the hallway, watching him, a lump in her throat that blocked her voice. Daichi normally stared at her, even Noa could swear that he sometimes opened his mouth, possibly to say something, but, at the end, he always walked past her and ended up ignoring her. They only behaved like before when they were with their parents.

"We could go sometime"

Mayu was taken aback by Noa. The libero raised an eyebrow as she sipped some tea again. Then, she stared at Noa, puzzled.

"Go to Shirahama", Noa explained. "It's a wonderful place. And the beach is a good place to practice. It has a mountain area as well. We could do an interval work using both environments", she added.

"We haven't even finished this school year and you are already planning a summer camp?"

"Sorry, sorry", Noa giggled and she scratched hear head, embarrassed.

"No. I think it's fine. You are committed with the team and you're thinking in the long term"

"I don't know… I wonder sometimes if I'm not thinking too much in the future. Maybe I should focus on the present. I mean, first we have the Spring High preliminaries and, if we succeed, we'll go to the Nationals"

"And, before all that, we have a practice match against Kinga. Don't forget about that", Mayu remarked.

"That's true"

"Last week-end, the coach told us that she was going to send Jiro some data about the team so we can have a look and prepare the practice match properly on Thursday"

"When do you think she'll do it?"

Mayu shrugged. "I don't know. But it should be soon. The practice match is on Friday". The second-year smirked. "Are you worried?"

"Why would I be?"

"Don't lie to me~"

"Well…" Noa rolled her eyes. "Maybe a little?" Noa sighed when Mayu raised an eyebrow. "Okaaaaay. A lot!"

Mayu chuckled. "I knew it! You are an open book!"

Noa clicked her tongue. She didn't forget what the coach told them. In that practice match, they would be using the starting line-up for the Spring High Preliminaries and that meant that one of them had to stay on the bench. Only one.

"It's easy for you. You are the libero, so you'll be in the line-up for sure", she pouted.

"That's not true. Mori-san can think otherwise"

"Really?" Noa huffed. "Hell to the no. It's really inusual in volleyball to play without the libero. You'll be in the line-up"

"Honestly, I think I know what's going to happen on Friday"

"Really?" Noa's eyes widened. She was dying to know what Mayu meant.

"Just think carefully about it and you'll come to the same conclusion"

When Mayu finished her green tea, both girls stood up. The libero threw away the can and they walked together towards the entrance door.

"Think carefully?" Noa insisted.

"Yes"

"Aren't you going to tell me?"

"Nope"

"Why are you so mean?" She moaned, making the libero smirk.

Mayu stopped in her tracks. The second-year put a hand on her hip and, with the other, she pointed at Noa. "I'll give you a clue". She cleared her throat before speaking again. "Oh"

"Oh?" Noa frowned. "What kind of clue is that?"

"Don't you have anything better to do rather than losing your time?"

Noa shrieked when she heard a male voice behind her. Slowly, she turned around, but she had to raise her eyes to meet Tsukishima's indifferent gaze.

"You asked me to help you study and, instead of studying, you are losing time"

"I'm not losing time!" She barked. "I'm resting a little bit after practice"

"Well. Then, you have been resting for so long. Our practice is over"

Noa's eyes widened. "Really?"

"Yes. Everyone is now in the gym doing some extra practice as always, but I'll skip it to help a dumpling head like you", Noa clenched her fists. "However, if I do this, my brother will think that, at least, I tried and, then, he'll leave me alone"

Noa looked away. She wasn't going to deny it, but Tsukishima had a point. But she wasn't going to say it out loud. She wouldn't dare to boost that four-eyes' ego.

"W-Well… I should go", Mayu stuttered, puzzled by their conversation. "See you tomorrow, Noa-san"

Noa waved at her while Tsukishima bowed before walking away in a different direction.

"You are so polite… You could be like that to me", Noa protested, crossing her arms.

"You don't deserve it", he replied without even looking at her.

"I hate you"

"Good"

The rest of the way home they made it in silence. Noa tried to think in other things rather than the blond boy, but walking with someone she didn't even get along with was troublesome. Yet, she preferred a conversation, so Tsukishima got on her nerves because he was always listening to music. Noa couldn't help but think what kind of music he liked. She even tried to guess it, but it ended up being an impossible task.

Then, she glanced at him discreetly from time to time. Tsukishima seemed to be a quiet boy, but, according to Noa, the main problem was his personality. She knew that Hinata and Kageyama had arguments frequently with him, especially because the blond tended to annoy the duo. And, definitely, Noa was a tempting target as well.

Unconsciously, she clicked her tongue. They were too different. They would never get along well. However, she was hoping to reach kind of a dead point or maybe become acquaintances. However, it was difficult for her. Being childish around Tsukishima was fun, especially because he was always bothered by her behavior.

"I'm home", Tsukishima opened the door. He took off his shoes in the hall and so did Noa.

"Oh", his mother peeked her head through the kitchen's door. "You've brought Noa-chan home. What a nice surprise!" The woman smiled gently.

"Hey, Noa-san!" Akiteru left the living-room to greet them. "Did you have fun in Shirahama?"

"Y-Yes!" She replied, her thoughts quickly set on Daichi. She noticed Tsukishima's fixed gaze on her, making a shiver run down her spine. Was he suspicious? Maybe he didn't believe her. Did Daichi tell them something during practice?

"We are going to study", Tsukishima informed. "So do not disturb us"

Noa bowed to Akiteru and his mum and, then, she followed Tsukishima upstairs. Tsukishima's room was the second door on the right. She hadn't been in many teenagers' rooms. In fact, she had only been in the bedroom of Lizzie's brother, her best friend in the USA, and the place was a tip. An experience she wished she could erase from her memory. So, as soon as she went in, she was surprised to see that everything was clean and tidy.

She stood under the doorframe. Remembering Lizzie provoked a lump in her throat. She didn't talk to her either to sort things out. Definately, she was a mess…

"Are you going to stay there all day?"

Noa jumped a little bit when she realized Tsukishima was talking to her. She shook her head no and closed the door.

Noa watched the room curiously while Tsukishima took some books from his backpack and took a seat on the floor due to the fact that his desk was too small for both of them. The bed was next to one of the white walls, like the desk. In front of that wall, his volleyball uniform was hanged. However, what caught Noa's attention the most were the shelves because they weren't plenty of books as she thought. There were various dinosaurs figurines. She suddenly burst into laughter what made Tsukishima furrow his brow.

"What it's so funny?"

"I didn't know you like dinosaurs so much"

"Actually, it's my brother"

Noa raised an eyebrow. That was such a pathetic excuse. "I find it quite adorable, actually", she shrugged nonchalantly as she sat beside him.

Tsukishima clicked his tongue. Noa was probably the sole person in the world he wanted to know the least about his passion toward dinosaurs.

"Let's end this as soon as possible". He opened his Modern Literature textbook. "Tell me what you don't understand"

Although Noa had a hard time trying to understand everything, Tsukishima was patient enough and was able to solve all her doubts, repeating himself if it was necessary. He ended up being a nice teacher, much to Noa's surprise. On the other hand, Noa ended up being a more bearable student than Hinata and Kageyama, so Tsukishima didn't mind when she stayed longer to keep doing homework together. It turned out to be more fruitful for both of them because they could help each other, forgetting for a while that, actually, they hated each other.

"A break?" Noa suggested, standing up and stretching the muscles of her back. Tsukishima nodded and left his Math notebook on the table to watch astonished how Noa sat on his bed casually and checked her phone.

"What do you think you are doing?" He demanded, frowning

"I'm texting Yachi to know how the extra practice went. Don't you want to know how much fun they had because you weren't there?" Noa smirked.

"I wasn't talking about that" Tsukishima sighed, sitting as well on his bed. "You are so rude"

"You mother and you brother think otherwise"

"Because they don't see what I see"

"And what do you see?"

"That you are almost lying on someone's bed, a person you barely know, and you didn't ask for permission"

"I'm only sat". Noa brushed Tsukishima's face with her right foot, making him groan. " _This_ is to be lying on a bed"

"You are disgusting", Tsukishima grimaced. "You get on my nerves", Tsukishima pushed her feet away from him.

"I could say the same", Noa replied, sending the text to Yachi. "I'm so sorry for the poor girl who will have to bear with you in the future"

"Pfft… Do you really think that worries me?" Tsukishima rolled his eyes. "You are too simple"

"And you are too boring. What should I ask Yamaguchi now~?" Noa played with a lock of her hair innocently.

"Ask him what?"

"If you like someone?"

Tsukishima grimaced. "Why would you do that?"

"To tease you as much as I can", she beamed proudly. " I could even blackmail you"

"Do you even realize how childish you are?"

"You might be true. But life is funnier that way, mister stuck-up"

"What are you talking about? You don't even has his email"

"Are you sure about that?" She grinned teasingly as she almost rubbed her phone against Tsukishima's face so he could see that she had Yamaguchi's number phone and email. "I can ask him many things and he'll tell me anything I want to know because Yamaguchi is too pure"

"Fine. Text him"

Noa texted Yamaguchi. In silence, they waited patiently until her phone buzzed a few seconds later.

"And so?" Tsukishima asked when he saw Noa's gaze fixed on her phone screen.

"He says that he doesn't know and, if he knew, he wouldn't tell me because he doesn't want you to get mad at him. Isn't it cute?" Noa giggled. "Obviously, he has replied to me gently instead of telling me that I should mind my own business"

He was definitely an angel. Why was Yamaguchi such a good person?

"See?" Tsukishima grinned triumphantly.

"He has asked me too that we should be nice to each other. Isn't he adorable?" Noa smiled, showing Tsukishima the message so he could read it. "What he doesn't know is that your mere face just irks me", she added, touching this time his face with her right foot.

"Stop", Tsukishima tried to move her foot away from his face, but, as soon as he did it, Noa used her left foot. And so on. She couldn't stop laughing due to Tsukishima's annoyed expression, but she immediately stopped when Tsukishima snatched her phone from her hands. "I win!"

"Give me that!"

"Who should I text?" He asked in a teasing tone. He swiped his finger across the screen, checking the contact numbers in her agenda. "Should I text that Jiro-kun guy~?"

"No", she warned him, pointing at him with her index finger.

"He is the only male you have in your phone agenda. Well, despite your father, Daichi-san, Hinata, Kageyama and Yamaguchi". Suddenly, his expression brightened and Noa swallowed hard. "You have Kuro-san email!" He laughed.

"Don't you dare!" Noa felt how her cheeks went red.

"Oh… So you are blushing now~?" Tsukishima tapped randomly, pretending he was texting him only to tease her.

"It's-It's not what you think!" She flushed deeply.

"Oh my… You even have a kitten icon next to his name", he laughed.

"Give me back my phone!"

Noa jumped on top of Tsukishima, like a beast leaping on its prey. He grumbled when he felt Noa's weight on him, but he managed to stretch his arm as much as he could, so Noa couldn't get her phone back.

"It isn't funny!" She spat, clenching her teeth.

"What's wrong? Don't you like to have a taste of your own medicine?" He smirked.

Noa frowned. She sat on Tsukishima's lap and, then, she put her knees on the bed to gain some stability.

"W-What the hell are you doing?" Tsukishima demanded.

He had to look away. Noa's breasts were at the height of his eyes while she kept struggling to reach the phone. How was it possible that a 15-year-old boy had such a long arm?

"Don't you realize what you are doing!?" He barked. "Behave like a normal girl! You are so damn rude!"

"And you are a jerk!" She talked back. "Now you are saying that it bothers you the fact that I'm trying to get my phone back!?" Noa rubbed his hair, so Tsukishima tried to defend himself. Using that moment of distraction, she grabbed his hand, but the blond was faster and he grasped the phone tightly.

Both struggled on the bed. Noa ended up losing her balance and fell on the bed. However, she put her legs around Tsukishima's waist as if she was doing some kind of lock. Tsukishima fell on top of her as he tried to break free.

"Okay, okay", Tsukishima groaned, finally giving up. "Here you have your pho-"

"Guys, it's late~". The room door wide opened. "I bring you something for dinner. You are working… Hard"

Tsukishima and Noa stopped immediately. Tsukishima's mum was standing under the doorframe, her eyes widening. Both teens looked at each other and that's when they realized they were in such an embarrassing position. Tsukishima, who was on top of Noa, quickly stood up, so she could close her legs.

"I-It's not what you think", Tsukishima tried to explain as calm as he could, given the situation.

"I-I'll leave this here and I'll leave…" Sumiko left the tray on the floor and closed the door quickly.

"No! Mum! It's not what you think!"

Tsukishima tried to reach her, but it was too late. His mother closed the door with a thud and he started at it for several minutes, trying to control the panic that was starting to raise inside him.

And, then, Noa burst into laughter. Tsukishima, who tried to stay calm as much as he could, felt anger. He was completely mad at her. It was all her fault. If they had started to play that stupid childish game it was because of her.

"What are you laughing at?" He hissed.

"I'm sorry", she answered still laughing. "But the situation couldn't be more hilarious. Your mother's face was priceless"

"No. It isn't", Tsukishima pressed his lips in a thin line. "She is going to think that we were doing… You know… Intimate stuff"

Noa blinked, feeling a bit confused until her brain reacted and she could understand what he meant by _intimate stuff._ "Oh"

"Oh? That's the only thing you have to say? Fix this!"

"Why would I do that?" Noa stood up as well and walked towards the door, where Tsukishima's mum had left the dinner. "It's ridiculous. When she thinks carefully about the whole situation, she'll realize that we weren't doing anything wrong. We were only teasing each other. Besides, it's your family. Not mine. Why would I have to speak to them?"

"Why don't you get it?" Tsukishima sighed and lowered his head. When he raised his eyes, he had in front of him some omurice.

"Stop complaining and eat"

Tsukishima's took the dish, puzzled by Noa's behavior.

"Are you aware of what this means?" He insisted on the matter. "They are going to think that we are…"

Noa grimaced. "That's disgusting! Who would believe that?

The door was suddenly widely opened. Tsukishima and Noa jumped because of the turmoil and turned their heads to see how Akiteru had barged in like a breath. Both teenagers stared at him who was opening and closing his mouth as if he was searching for the right words to say.

"Please. Not you", Tsukishima rolled his eyes.

"It's not what you think, Akiteru-san" Noa smiled as she chewed happily her food.

"You won't be able to imagine how mum is! She tried to put the dishes in the washing machine instead of the dishwasher! She was mumbling something about how fast his little boy is growing" He explained as he ran a hand through his hair. "What the hell were you two thinking?"

"I was just trying to take my phone back"

"Y-Your phone?"

"Your brother is an idiot! He snatched it from my hands and then he tried to do inappropriate things. Things he shouldn't do to a girl!" Noa gave Tsukishima a death stare. "And that's all", she crossed her arms, satisfied with her explanation.

Akiteru remained silent for a few seconds. Noa smiled proudly. Her explanation was more than convincing. Everything would be fixed and she wouldn't see Tsukishima's sour face anymore.

"He tried to do… Things he shouldn't do to a girl?" Akiteru muttered, landing his eyes on his little brother.

"Don't misunderstand her", Tsukishima approached his brother, raising his hands in a defensive attitude. Noa stared at them, puzzled, unable to understand what was going on. "By things, she was referring to her mobile phone, not-"

"For God's sake! You are only fifteen!" Akiteru pointed at them, cutting off his little brother. "You are brats! How is it possible that my brother has been faster than me!? When I was you age I hadn't kissed a girl yet!"

"What are you talking about?" Tsukishima sweat dropped.

"Okay. It's fine…" Akiteru sighed, trying to calm down. He put his hands on his hips. "Okay. I get it. I understand how difficult is to hold your feelings towards someone you like at you age, but, please, don't rush things", he turned around, but before leaving the bedroom, he stopped to give one last advice. "When time comes, if you are both ready, don't forget to use protection"

Tsukishima and Noa went silent. The blond face palmed and Noa couldn't help but feel astonished. She looked at him, searching for some answers. "Wha-What does he mean by protection?"

"Are you an idiot!? They think we are dating!"

"Whaaaaaat?" Noa's eyes widened. "Okay. You're right. I should talk to you mother and your brother"

"Don't do it!" Tsukishima grabbed her arm. "It's your fault, but don't say anything else. You're making it worse. You did it on purpose!"

"That's not true! How was I going to do something like that!? What kind of person you think I am!?"

"You've laughed!"

"And what did you want me to do, huh!? It was a ridiculous situation! It's nothing serious!"

"Yes! It is! I wouldn't date someone like you!"

Noa pushed him away. "You are an idiot! Do you really think I could date someone like you?"

"Fine. From now on, I don't want you to ask me for help. I don't want to know anything about a brat like you"

Noa rolled her eyes. "A brat?" She huffed and crossed her arms. "Listen carefully, four-eyes. I am fifteen, that's why I can behave like a child sometime. Don't pretend to be more mature than me when that's not true at all. Maybe I crossed the line this time, but you went along with it because you are as babyish as me!" Noa pointed at him in an accusing way.

Both fixed their gaze on them for several seconds, in silence. She wasn't going to lose to him.

"Do you really want to start a war?" Tsukishima smirked.

"You don't have what it takes", she challenged him.

And, although he didn't reply, deep down, he accepted.

* * *

 **Well... Well... Next chapter is 'This is war'. Can you guess what will happen?**

 **Next, another character profile!**

* * *

 **CHARACTER PROFILE**  
NIIMURA YOSHINO

 **Complete Name:** Niimura Yoshino

 **Date of birth:** June 7th

 **Age:** 18

 **Height:** 159.10 cm

 **Weight:** 49 kg

 **Appearance:** Yoshino has shoulder-length light brown hair with brown eyes and her height is average for a Japanese girl, but still, she is very athletic. She usually wears two hairclips.

 **Personality:** Yoshino is a really mature girl and knows what she does for her life in a good way. She is a social butterfly and loves to help people that surround her; she even gives herself a free time to tutor her little kouhais to their failed subject. She's kind and honest to all and she isn't afraid to dislike someone and tell hurtful words. Yoshino is intelligent and gets really good grades because she thinks that's the way to succeed in life.  
She is very professional and ruthless her in volleyball. Even if she isn't an official setter in her team, she always supports them. Her dream is to never give up. That's why she is trying to polish her skills, to be capable of play in other positions when necessary.

 **Occupation:** High school student (3rd Year, Class 5)

 **Team:** Karasuno High

 **Number:** 12

 **Position:** Setter | Jack-of-all-trades

 **Favorite food:** Okonomiyaki

 **Goals:** Polishing her skills as spiker

 **Current Concern:** Passing all her exams, getting good grades and going to a good university

 **Statistics** (out of 5)  
Power: 3  
Jump: 2  
Stamina: 2  
Strategy: 3  
Technique: 3  
Speed: 3

* * *

 **~ See you next time!**


	20. The setter's secret

**A/N: Hello everyone! I'm back! I don't know if you've noticed, but last chapter I said that the next one was going to be 'This is war'. However, I've changed my mind and 'This is war' is going to be next, chapter twenty.**  
 **Anyway, welcome to all people who followed and favorited this story during the last weeks. Thank you so much!**  
 **In this chapter I've written a match, so I hope everything is more or less clear. It's so damn difficult to write a volleyball match, especially when I'm not an expert. You should have seen the piece of paper I've used to write some notes about the rotations...**

 **MagiXZ: hahaha I'm so glad you liked it! I loved writing all the misunderstandings between Noa and Tsukishima. They're so funny. And the bickering it's not stopping for the time being.**

 **Luna: If they keep pushing each other buttons, I can guarantee that Tsukishima and Noa aren't going to end well... But you'll see. I don't want to spoil anything haha I hope you'll like the beggining of this chapter. I think all Noa and Asahi shippers -there are lots of them!- will love it. And I wanted to write more interactions between them.**

 **Cardfighter by Maple: Well... You're not the only one, honey.**

 **Enjoy the reading!**

 **I do not own Haikyuu or its characters**

* * *

 **CHAPTER NINETEEN**  
The setter's secret

Noa stretched in her bed after switching off the alarm. It was five o'clock in the morning. She sat up and scratched her head, feeling still asleep. When she managed to get out of her bed, she shuffled along the hallway and went downstairs to prepare breakfast. She moved by instinct through the house, her eyes almost closed.

 _Thwack_

Noa opened her eyes immediately. Her hair stood on end. What was that sound? She felt how her heartbeat fastened. She walked on her tiptoes, trying not to make any noise. The sound came from the kitchen and she was sure that it couldn't be anyone from her family. She was the only one who woke up so early every morning to go to practice.

What if there was someone else in the house? That thought crossed her mind and, although it was probably one of the silliest things she had ever thought, she was sure that, at that moment, it was the truth.

So she grabbed an object close at hand. It was a wood cube with a pair of branches where they hung the keys. And she was going to use it as a weapon.

As stealthily as she could, she headed towards the kitchen. Before getting in, she peeped out, getting a glimpse of a moving shadow. She hid again, trying to control her breathing and, gathering all her courage, she jumped and got into the kitchen willing to defend herself from that robber.

"Ah!"

Both screamed at the same time. But before Noa could hit the robber, she stopped. She was almost sure that she knew that kind of squeak.

The robber was trying to protect himself using his arms, but, slowly, he lowered his arms, letting her see his face. And Noa's suspicions were proved. She knew that person.

"A-Asahi-san?" she asked, confused.

The third-year seemed terrified. His eyes followed Noa's hand, making sure that she wasn't going to hit him with that piece of wood.

Asahi's loose hair gave him a wild look. Noa was wondering how she had been able to recognize his voice, even if he was screaming. If she had hit him, she could have hurt him so badly.

"W-What are you doing here?"

"I'm sorry I've scared you", he stuttered. "Yesterday we came here to study and, w-well… It was late and we stayed. I mean, Suga and me. He is here as well"

"Oh". It was the only thing she said. Was she stupid or something?

"I-I didn't know you were here too. I mean. I know you live here, but… I didn't see you yesterday", he followed.

He was right. Noa arrived exhausted from high school. She woke up first thing in the morning every day to have practice, she went to class, then she had more practice, she went back home, she studied, she had something to eat in her own room and finally she fell exhausted on her bed. On the other hand, having dinner in her own room prevented her from the awkwardness Daichi's presence provoked her since they argued in Shirahama.

"I'm sorry if I woke you up, but I was thirsty. I didn't turn the lights on not to bother anyone, but, at the end, the cure was worse than the disease", he giggled nervously. "I couldn't see anything and I tripped"

"Y-You didn't wake me up!" She blushed. "I wake up at five every morning to have practice before classes. We can only use the gym after classes for one hour and a half"

"Oh. Right. You share the gym with the basketball team, don't you?"

Noa nodded. "We have to make the most of the time"

"Yes. We have woken up first thing in the morning as well to have practice more than once"

An awkward silence settled between them. Noa fiddled with her fingers, not knowing what to say. She was too intimidated by his presence.

"W-Well… You can sleep a little bit until you go to class", Noa suggested shyly.

"Ah, y-yeah…" Asahi startled. "You're right", he scratched his head, embarrassed. "A-Although I'm not sure if I could get to sleep again"

Noa giggled nervously. "I... I could prepare breakfast for both of us then". Asahi glanced at her curiously. "I make the best pancakes in the world!"

"B-But that's too much work"

"Don't worry", Noa chirped happily. "Miyoko-san is having lately many cravings and pancakes are one of them. Well, actually, she could eat anything right now if it's sweet", she giggled. "The batter is already made. It's in the fridge"

Noa approached the fridge and she took out a plastic container. Without expecting any reply by Asahi, she took a frying pan. She turned the kitchen lights on to see properly and then she put a pat of butter on the pan. Afterwards, she opened as well the kitchen wardrobes until she found some cream, chocolate and butterscotch. After that, she started to prepare some juice, tea and coffee as she didn't know what Asahi would prefer.

"L-Let me help you", Asahi approached her, his cheeks reddening as soon as he stood behind her.

Noa turned around. She realized that Karasuno's ace wasn't wearing his school uniform or the team uniform. He was wearing grey shorts and a red t-shirt which was a bit short for him. They were probably Daichi's. Until she didn't turn the lights on, she didn't notice. And, if he was wearing those clothes as pajamas, it meant that…

Noa's eyes widened. Suddenly, she grabbed the hem of the basketball shirt she used as a nightgown, realizing why Asahi's cheeks were red and he was trying to look anywhere _but_ her. The shirt reached her mid-tights, but she stretched out the fabric, trying to cover all her tights properly.

"I-I have to change!" She burst out. Asahi couldn't see her like that! "C-Could you watch out the pancakes for me? I'll be back as soon as possible!"

Asahi tried to say something. He had never cooked pancakes before. But his voice didn't come out of his mouth and Noa was already gone.

Noa rushed out of the kitchen and went upstairs. She closed her bedroom door, leaning her back against it while she tried to hold the yelp that was threatening to come out of her mouth. She then hopped around. She couldn't believe Asahi was downstairs, in the kitchen, and she was cooking _for_ him. She had spoken _to_ him. And she had seen him wearing a different outfit rather than the boring school uniform.

She tried to calm down her crazy breathing and started getting dressed. She should stop behaving like a little girl and try to be more mature.

She had to rummage through her clothes. She couldn't find her sweater. She clicked her tongue, but she finally gave up and she put her school jacket, although she avoided it if possible.

She left the bedroom as she tried to brush her hair with her fingers while she headed towards the bathroom. Suddenly, she bumped into someone and Noa raised her head, meeting Sugawara Koushi's kind smile.

"Good morning, Noa-san", he greeted.

"G-Good morning", she stuttered, forgetting until then that the setter was there too.

"Are you okay? I was woken up by a scream I think"

"Oh", she jumped a little bit. "I-I'm fine. It was only a misunderstanding involving Asahi-san"

"Asahi?" He asked, confused.

"Oh God!" Noa jumped. "Asahi-san!" She remembered that the third-year was still in the kitchen waiting for her, so she turned around and went downstairs.

"Oi!" Suga tried to reach her, but she was already gone.

"What is happening?" The door of one of the bedrooms opened and Miyoko's sleepy face stuck out the doorframe.

"I'm so sorry!" Suga bowed.

Meanwhile, Noa went into the kitchen in the blink of an eye. Asahi stepped away from the pan when he saw Noa and she got to it.

Asahi took a seat, watching her move through the kitchen. He smiled to himself and waited patiently until she served the food and a cup of freshly made tea. Noa seemed like a completely different person when she was out of high school. And he was glad he could enjoy her company that morning. She was so full of energy and so cheerful while she prepared breakfast that he couldn't help but look at her.

"Aren't you going to sit with me?" Asahi asked when Noa rolled her pancakes and then she started to eat them while she kept moving, preparing now her bento.

"I… I…" Noa stopped immediately, blushing. When Asahi realized what he had said, his cheeks went red. Both of them babbled something for several seconds until Noa was capable of saying something. "I-If I don't rush, I'll be late to practice", she explained. "Besides, we have a practice match today"

"Oh", Aasahi smiled shyly. "Daichi didn't say anything"

"Y-Yeah. W-Well… I-I didn't tell him", she confessed.

Asahi blinked confused by her response. "W-Well… Then… Uh. Good luck. Yeah… Good luck!" He clenched his fists, proud for being confident enough to wish her luck out loud.

"Th-Thank you", Noa put her bento in her backpack and drank a glass of milk while Asahi kept staring at her.

"Ah! So you're here!", Suga entered the kitchen, already wearing his uniform.

"You have pancakes for breakfast", Noa smiled at him. "If you want anything else, Daichi and you will have to cook. I have to go now or I'll be late to practice", she headed towards the door. "Oh! By the way, Asahi-san, next time I'll make it up to you. I'll owe you a lunch together"

"W-What?" Suga's eyes widened, but Noa had already left the house. He stared at Asahi, but the ace looked away, his cheeks in a burning red. What did he miss? The setter put two and two together and smirked mischievously.

Meanwhile, Noa stopped in the porch as soon as she closed the door. What did she just say!?

"I didn't ask him for a date in front of Sugawara, did I!?" She squeaked loudly.

 **...**

Noa rummaged through Noriko's sport bag. Mayu was watching her closely, blinking astonished by the first-year's behavior. The ace was behind her, her arms crossed over her chest.

"What the hell are you doing!?" The third-year barked.

"I'm looking for my sweater!" Noa zipped the sport bag after checking that the sweater wasn't there.

"Why would I have your sweater!?"

"You could have taken it without noticing", Noa pouted

"You'll have to ask for a new one to the school if you have lost it, Noa-san", Michimiya explained as she tied her sneakers laces.

Noa huffed. She must have left it somewhere, but she couldn't remember.

"Are you ready?" Mori Hatsue entered the locker room. "Hurry up. Kinga is already warming up"

"We are ready", Yui informed.

"Aoyama-kun!" Mori Hatsue called out the manager. "You can come in now!"

Jiro was holding a small board with some magnets on it. Everyone gathered around him and the coach to listen to the last minute instructions before the match and, especially, to know what the line-up was.

"As we saw yesterday, Kinga is a fast team when attacking and has a solid defense. The players didn't stand out by their height, just like you, so we are equals. But they are pretty skillful as they are capable of reaching all fronts"

The girls nodded eagerly. They read the reports Hatsue had found about their rivals. They had learnt also that their most dangerous player was the number 7, Hirata Emi, a wing spiker who was capable of swinging her arm very quickly.

"I can't deny that winning is important, even though we are playing a practice match. However, I want you to focus on putting into practice everything you've been training these days. This is a good practice for the Preliminaries to see if all you effort was worth it", the coach followed. "If we manage to win the first two matches, we might face them", the woman took the magnets which had some numbers. "This will be our main line-up"

Everyone leaned forward to have a better look.

STARTING ORDER

KINGA SCHOOL

Yukimura (S-2nd Year) | Ishikawa (MB-3rd Year)/Yamazaki (L-3rd Year) | Hirata (WS-3rd Year)

Honda (WS-2nd Year) | Akiyama (MB-3rd Year) | Fujita (S-3rd Year)

NET

KARASUNO HIGH

Furihata (WS-1st Year) | Oka (MB-2nd Year) | Nagano (WS-3rd Year)

Harada (MB-2nd Year)/Shiraiwa (L-2nd Year) | Harada (S-2nd Year) | Michimiya (MB-3rd Year)

All of them warmed up not to suffer any injury during the practice match. However, Yoshino was the only one who had to wait on the bench. She was out of the starting order. Noa couldn't help but glance at her senpai, sitting on the bench, next to Jiro. Noa and Mayu exchanged looks. Mayu gave Noa a meaningful stare and the first-year realized that the libero knew as well. Everyone knew. The team had two setters and, although they could be in the starting order at the same time, it wasn't that common in volleyball.

But, much to Noa's surprise, Yoshino didn't seem sad or disappointed about it. It was as if she was mentally prepared. Deep down, she already knew, so she was willing to encourage her teammates from the bench. And that was praiseworthy given that any of the next official matches could be the last.

When Ishikawa served for Kinga, the practice match officially started. The ball was easily lifted up by Yui. Quickly, Ayako moved to her right and set up the ball for Noa. She spiked and the ball crossed the court, falling in the right corner.

 **0-1**

"Nice kill, Noa-san", Chizuko smiled gently.

The team rotated before starting the serve. It was Yui's turn. The Ace threw up the ball and hit it. The ball flew over the net and landed easily in Yukimira's arms. It went towards Fujita's hands. She set up the ball for Hirata who attacked from the row line. Just like they had learnt, Hirata swung her right arm quickly and, although Chizuko and Noa jumped to block her spike, Hirata had been faster than them. Michimiya tried to control the ball, but it hit her left forearm and flew off.

 **1-1**

Kinga rotated and Hirata was now on the front line.

Yukimura served. The ball flew towards Noriko, who had to control the ball. The Ace clicked her tongue as she couldn't be now part of the attack. Ayako was ready to toss the ball quickly, analyzing which was the best option. Noa seemed to be in good shape that day, so she set it up for her. The first year spike it, doing a cross-court again, but Fujita, who was part of the barrier of three blockers, touched slightly the ball.

"One touch!"

Yukimura, the other setter of Kinga, waited patiently until the ball fell in her hands.

"She is going to toss it right away!?" Noriko's eyes widened.

The girl, just like Noriko predicted, set up the ball parallel to the net and Hirata spiked it skillfully. Karasuno couldn't even react.

 **2-1**

When they studied that Kinga's attack was fast, none of them imagined they could do it at such high speed. They didn't even touch the ball three times. The ball landed on the setter's hands and she directly tossed it.

 **6-3**

Akiyama served. The girl made a jump serve that Noriko barely controlled.

"Sorry", she apologized as the ball flew off towards Michimiya. The team captain tossed it poorly and Ayaka spiked it. Kinga blocked it easily and Ayaka stretched her right arm to prevent the ball from hitting the floor. Ayako dived, lifting the ball using her fist and Noa, who was in the backcourt, passed the ball to Kinga to regroup.

Kinga was attacking again. Yukimura set up the ball and Ishikawa spiked.

Michimiya controlled the ball, but it didn't lift up in the air enough. However, Ayako managed to fix it and tossed the ball once more. She set up for Noriko, who jumped from the backcourt. Her sudden move surprised Kinga and their rivals couldn't save the ball.

 **6-4**

It was Noa's turn. She closed her eyes, trying to concentrate, and took a deep breath, holding the air in her lungs. She tossed the ball and she took two steps forward to jump and hit the ball as hard as she could. It flew over the net. Fujita tried to control it, but the serve was too strong and flew off backwards.

 **6-5**

"Nice serve!"

Noa smiled while the rest of her teammates tapped her back happily.

When they came back to their positions, Noa took the ball again and repeated the same ritual. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath and tossed the ball.

 _Shit, it's too low_ , she thought as she was ready to jump. Indeed, the serve wasn't good. Noa couldn't hit it properly and it brushed against the net. However, instead of landing in Kinga's side, it did it in Karasuno's.

 **7-5**

Kinga celebrated the point with joy while Noa sighed.

"Okay. It's fine!" Yui yelled when she saw her teammates' puzzled expressions. Even though it was true that Noa's serves weren't always perfect, at least, her serves stood out thanks to their strength. That wasn't a mistake she would make. "We keep going!" She added, making her teammates nod eagerly.

Yet, although Hirata moved to the backcourt, things weren't easier for Karasuno. They weren't used to such quick attacks. While her teammates tried to stop them, Noa stepped back and preferred to watch Hirata's moves, not taking part in the defense like she did when she played against Karasuno boys' volleyball team. Hirata's quick attack wasn't similar to Hinata and Kageyama's. In fact, Hinata and Kageyama, both took part in that quick attack, but, in this case, the attack depended on the swing of the arm the Kinga's Ace made. But, just like then, Noa knew she should get used to it.

After failing many times, Karasuno decided to defend with three blockers instead of two.

"Yui-san", Noa whispered and made a gesture with her hand to warn Noriko and Ayako as well. "I'm not in the front row now, but thanks to that I've realized something. When you start counting, don't jump on the count of three. Jump on the count of two"

The three girls nodded.

Hirata served. Mayu controlled the ball easily, lifting it up. The ball landed on Ayako's hands and she quickly tossed the ball for Noriko who spiked perfectly.

 **11-6**

Ayaka served. Akiyama, Kinga's middle blocker, controlled the ball easily. The setter placed herself parallel to the net and tossed the ball for Ishikawa. Or, at least, that's what Karasuno thought because the ball flew past the third-year middle blocker and it was Hirata, from the backcourt, who spiked it.

 **12-6**

"Tch", Ayako clicked her tongue.

Kinga served, aiming Ayako. The setter had to touch the ball, so she couldn't set up the ball for anyone in the next move.

"Mine!" Chizuko warned when she saw the ball flying towards her position. The middle blocker toss the ball for Noriko, but the spike was predictable and Kinga blocked it.

"One touch!" Akiyama, the third-year middle blocker, yelled.

Kinga's libero controlled the ball. Fujita, the other setter, set up the ball for Honda, who spiked. However, Chizuko and Noriko blocked it and the straight landed on Noa's arms.

"Noriko!" Ayako tossed the ball right away for her senpai. The Ace hit it hardly, but Yamazaki stopped it.

"Sorry. Cover!" Kinga's libero apologized while the rest of her teammates were already moving, preparing a new chance to attack.

The setter tossed the ball backwards and Hirata spiked. Just like Noa had suggested previously, Noriko, Yui and Chizuko this time counted. However, when Yui said two out loud, they jumped stretching their arms to block the spike. The ball hit Noriko's right hand, the tallest member of Karasuno, and it landed on Kinga's side of the court.

 **12-7**

"YEEEEEEEEEEEES!"

The girls yelled, Jiro joining them from the bench. They had spent much time trying to stop at least one spike from Hirata, so their boisterous celebration was justified.

Yet, despite of being able to stop one of their spikes, they didn't win the first set, which ended with a 24-15 on the board.

During break, everyone gathered around the bench to hear Mori Hatsue's instructions.

"How are you feeling?" She asked, putting her hands on her hips. As soon as she pronounced those words, they knew what the coach meant. She had always insisted on how poorly physically prepared they were and, in the last weeks, they had work on it. They shouldn't feel as tired as before.

"Fine", Yui replied. "At this point, we would have felt our legs heavy"

The rest of the team nodded and Hatsue smiled.

"That's important", she looked at Jiro. "Aoyama-kun, you've been taking notes during the match. I don't have much experience in volleyball and neither do you, but you told me you have something to tell them"

"Yes", the boy nodded. "You should move much more. You are too static and I've noticed that limits your actions when it comes to prevent the ball from touching the floor. You are making things too easy for Kinga"

"Okay", Yui put her hand in the middle and so did the rest of the team doing a circle with their hands. "Karasuno..."

"FIGHT!" They yelled at the same time, raising their hands.

While Karasuno didn't substitute anyone, Kinga decided to do without Yukimura, the second-year setter, and Mizuno, a third-year wing spiker, was in instead.

Ayako served and the second half started.

The girls tried to make use of Jiro's advice and, although there wasn't a significant improvement, their movements were more fluent. Yet, the manager wasn't satisfied at all –especially when Chizuko and Mayu dived for the same ball at the same time. The girls could feel Jiro's glare, watching them carefully and considering what he should tell them next.

 **12-10**

Kinga had just scored another point. Karasuno couldn't let them go any further.

Fujita served, aiming for Noa. The girl tried to control the ball but Chizuko stepped in front of her and the ball landed on her forearms.

"Chi-Chizuko-san?" She was puzzled.

"Noriko-san and you are now on the backcourt. Both of you are our best scorers, so you can't touch the ball"

Noa nodded, took two steps forward and jumped after exchanging a quickly glance with Noriko, who did exactly the same. Ayaka stepped aside to give Noa some space to spike the ball and Ayako tossed for her, scoring.

 **12-11**

Noa had to serve again. She sighed and closed her eyes. They couldn't afford losing another chance of evening the score, so she didn't do her jump serve. It was a normal serve instead.

"What the hell is she doing?" Mori Hatsue hissed.

"I think she is trying to secure her serve because we are only one point away", Yoshino said.

Mori Hatsue furrowed her brow, not happy with Noa's decision. The woman watched the play close. The ball landed easily on Hirata's hands. Fujita set up the ball and Mizuno scored for Kinga.

 **13-11**

The coach huffed and crossed her arms.

Hirata served. Mayu controlled the ball easily, lifting it up perfectly for Ayako to toss it for Yui. The spike, however, was blocked and the ball flew off backwards, towards Karasuno's side of the court. Yet, Mayu dived, showing her good reflexes, lifting again the ball in the air.

"Ayako-san!" Noa called out the setter. Michimiya stepped aside to let Noa jump. Ayako tossed the ball for her.

However, Noa bumped into Honda and Akiyama's hands, which were blocking her. Noa smirked and spiked the ball so it flew backwards when it hit Mizuno's hand. The ball made a perfect curve in the air. Suddenly, Michimiya was behind Noa, already in the air. Kingas girls' eyes widened, but it was already too late when they realized what was happening. Yui spiked the ball and it landed on the floor with a thud.

 **13-12**

"W-What the hell was that?" Yukimura asked from the bench, expressing out loud the confusion the rest of her teammates were feeling.

"It's a tandem!" Their coach replied. "Damn it! Haven't you seen one!?" The man shouted, trying to wake up his team.

Noa and Yui high-fived. The first-year had repeated that move so many times during practice –they had even seen it during the match she played with Karasuno's male team– that the rest of their teammates were already used to it. Michimiya was waiting for it.

Ayaka returned to the court to serve the ball. After stopping another Kinga's attack, Ayako set up the ball for Chizuko. Noa, who was behind the setter, tried to mislead Kinga's players, jumping from the backcourt. That way Chizuko would increase her chances of scoring. However, in a blink of an eye, the ball was in front of her face.

"W-What?" She was confused. Chizuko was supposed to spike it, not her.

She tried to spike it, but the ball hit her face and then landed on their side of the court.

 **14-12**

"What was that?" Kinga's players burst into laughter.

Noa couldn't believe her eyes. Instead of Chizuko, Ayako tossed for her. How the hell did she know that she was there when she was behind her? And, besides, she jumped later than the middle blocker.

The coach asked for a time out. Everyone hurried towards the bench and gathered around the woman, who was frowning.

"You have to talk to each other", Jiro said as he was certain that Hatsue wasn't going to be nice to them after seeing her mad expression. "Things like this can't happen"

"I wasn't expecting the ball!" Noa confessed. "I was trying to mislead Kinga's attention"

"I know", Ayako put her hands on her hips. "But you had more chances than Chizuko to score. And you didn't even realize it!"

Everyone's eyes were set on Ayako. The girl raised an eyebrow as she crossed her arms over her chest. She couldn't understand what was so bad about it.

"What have you just said?" Hatsue asked in such a soft voice that Ayako felt a shiver running down her spine.

"How have you been able to see Furi-chan?" Jiro asked more accurately than the coach. "She was right behind you. It was impossible for you to see her!"

"Oh. Well… Actually, if I try hard it's as if I could see what's happening behind my back", Ayako scratched her head while everyone's mouths dropped. "I can know what's happening on the court even though I can't see it"

Everyone went silent for a while, blank expressions on their faces, until Mori Hatsue approached the setter and, then, she shook her violently. "Are you seriously telling me that this team has a setter with Eagle Eye and no one knew it!?"

"Eagle what?" Ayaka stared at her twin sister, her eyes widening.

"Mori-san!" Chizuko and Yui calmed their coach down. The ruckus they were making caught Kinga's attention. They were looking at them, expressions of astonishment on their faces.

The whistle blew which informed them that the time out was over.

Hatsue sighed. "We'll talk later"

The girls went back to the court, but Jiro glanced sideways at the coach. "What is exactly the Eagle Eye?"

Hatsue didn't glance back. All her attention was on the match, which had started with Kinga scoring another point. "Something that can give us a good advantage in the Preliminaries"

The distance didn't grow during the following points. Karasuno talked more, fixed their positions when necessary and warned each other when they were going to touch the ball, so they didn't bother each other when controlling or spiking.

Their sudden change didn't go unnoticed for Kinga's players. Since the Inter High Preliminaries, they were a different team.

When it was Noa's turn to serve again, she tried to secure the serve once more.

"She did it again!" Hatsue clenched her teeth.

Noa had repeated the same mistake and Karasuno missed the serve.

Hatsue growled and the whistle warned about a substitution that was going to be made. Noa's eyes widened when she saw Yoshino's standing in the touchline, holding a little sign with the number ten on it. Noa hurried towards the setter and after encouraging her she sat on the bench.

"What did you think you were doing?"

Noa turned to look at her coach. Jiro was sitting between them, but Noa noticed that she wasn't even looking at her.

"I-"

"Why haven't you done your jump serve?" She cut her off.

"I wanted to sec-"

"You didn't have to do it!" Hatsue gave her a death glare. "One of your strengths is your powerful jump serve!"

"But I can't always control it!"

"Then just do it!" Hatsue made a pause. "Control it once and for all, Noa!"

Her stomach hurt and Noa lowered her head. Jiro tapped the top of her head gently and he gave her a towel. Noa wiped the sweat from her face and bit her bottom lip, staring at her own feet. She must become the Ace, but, once more, she failed. All her insecurities were back and she felt like crying

"You'll do better next time. Don't worry. We learn from our mistakes"

Noa turned around when she felt Mayu's hand on her shoulder. The libero approached her to reassure her as well, as if she could know what was going through Noa's mind. Noa nodded eagerly and smiled at the second-year. Then, Mayu gave her the thumb-up and got into the court for Ayaka who left it as soon as the libero was in.

They didn't win the practice match. In the second set they did much better, but the final result was 26-24.

"They've changed", Hirata told her teammates as she took one bottle to drink some water.

"Yes. During the Inter High they lacked something", Honda agreed.

"Conviction", Hirata added. "They didn't fight like that before"

"And they've changed since those three people arrived", Fujita pointed at Hatsue, Jiro and Noa. "It's impressive"

"If they keep improving so quickly, facing them in the Spring High Preliminaries is going to be funny", Hirata smiled.

 **…**

"Stop rummaging through everyone's sport bags!" Ayako barked, trying to kick Noa, but the first-year dodged it on time.

"I have to find my sweater! I hate the jacket of our school uniform!"

"Oh! Ayako, did you know that Noa-san was rummaging through your sport bag thanks to your Eagle Eye?" Ayaka teased.

"Shut up!" The setter gave her twin sister a death stare, making Ayako laugh.

Everyone left the locker room and, once they've thanked Kinga for the opportunity, they walked towards the bus.

"So, thanks to the Eagle Eye, Ayako-san can see what's going on the court from a different perspective", Yoshino crossed her arms.

"According to our coach, it's as if she could see the match from above", Noriko followed. "She can see the formation of the players, so it's easier for her to develop a strategy accordingly"

"For how long have you been experiencing that?" Chizuko asked.

"Since I started to play volleyball. I think"

"How is that possible?" Mayu sweat dropped.

"You didn't tell me!" Ayaka frowned.

"And you haven't used it until today"

Ayako shook her head no.

"Why?" Jiro demanded.

"It's tiring. It's not practical"

"Far from it!" Hatsue appeared behind them. "It's more useful than you think. It benefits you when you toss the ball and, of course, that helps the whole team"

"And how is it supposed to be useful if I'm exhausted when I use it for more than five minutes?"

"You'll have to train it", Hatsue explained. "You have a gift, Harada-san. You have to work on it and, from now on, that's what we'll do. However, we haven't got enough time. The Preliminaries are in three days, so you couldn't use the Eagle Eye every time you want to. That's why, for the time being, you'll use it only when necessary. When the team needs it", the woman tapped the setter's back. "For the moment, the other teams won't know anything about your ability. That's an advantage for the Preliminaries. It's fantastic", she grinned.

"Ah..." Jiro's eyes sparkled. "This is like a spokon! You know, like those mangas and animes about sport in which the main character has an unusual ability that no one can stop". He jumped towards Ayako and twined her with his arms. "You are our heroine, Ayako-chaaaan~!"

"Stop it!" The second-year hissed, making everyone laugh as she tried to push him away from her.

When Noa arrived home, she took a bath to relax her muscles after all the effort made. They didn't win, but she noticed that all the pieces were starting to fit in. For the Preliminaries, they would be ready and, having discovered what Ayako hid, they would be much stronger. The only problem was that they would have only a few days before the tournament started... And that wasn't enough time.

After her bath, Noa shut herself in her bedroom to do some homework. She heard the door a few minutes later, so she guessed Daichi had just arrived home. She didn't left her room to greet him or ask him how his day was, just like she did before. That's why Noa was surprised when she heard, thirty minutes later more or less, the doorbell.

Noa, however, kept doing some Math exercises until she heard Miyoko's voice calling her name. Noa left the room and frowned when she saw before going downstairs who was waiting for her in the hallway.

"What are you doing here?" She spat.

"What kind of welcoming is that, Noa-chan?" Miyoko smiled.

Noa went downstairs and faced Tsukishima. The boy was wearing casual clothes, not his uniform. She knew Tsukishima wasn't up to any good as soon as she noticed his smirk. And she realized she wasn't wrong when she saw what he was holding with his right arm.

"After our meeting, you left the sweater in my house, Noa-san"

So she left her sweater in Tsukishima's house... But... Wait a minute... Meeting? And the most important thing: since when Tsukishima called her by her name? Noa opened her mouth to say the first insult that crossed her mind, but Miyoko spoke first.

"Oh my…" Miyoko's eyes sparkled

"What meeting?" Furihata Hayate put his head out of the door of the living room as if some alarm had warned him.

"It's not what you-" Noa tried to cleared things up, but it was impossible. Tsukishima had opened a can of worms.

"I'm sorry for not introducing myself, Furihata-san. I'm Tsukishima Kei", he bowed.

Hayate's face went red, trying to hold all the anger he felt when he found out that his own daughter had spent time alone with that boy.

"Isn't it wonderful, honey?" Miyoko approached her husband and took his arm knowing what he was thinking. How did that boy dare to be near his innocent and precious daughter!?

"Thanks for giving me back my sweater", Noa snatched it from Tsukishima's hands. "You can leave now"

"Ah Noa-chan... Don't be so harsh~ You're too shy about it. There's nothing wrong in spending some time alone with such a fine young man as Tsukishima-kun" Miyoko smiled excitedly. But Noa raised an eyebrow. Fine young man? No way! "Tsukishima-kun, stay for dinner"

"No! He doesn't want to!" Noa replied before him.

"I would love to", Tsukishima smiled charmingly. Noa clenched her teeth. He was doing it on purpose. That four-eyes was the devil.

"What is going on here?"

"Daichi-san", Tsukishima was the first one to notice Daichi's presence.

Noa turned around, her eyes widening. Amongst all people on Earth, Daichi was the last one she wanted to witness that.

"We are going to have dinner now", Miyoko replied. "Tsukishima-kun is staying"

Noa and her father groaned, unhappy with Miyoko's decision. But, when she got an idea in the head, there wasn't turning back.

Daichi could feel the heavy atmosphere between Noa and Tsukishima. Hayate, who normally sat next to his daughter, had changed his seat and was now chairing the dinner. Instead, Tsukishima was next to her and, from time to time, both of them exchanged death stares.

"Tsukishima-kun has given back Noa-chan's sweater", Miyoko explained while she served her son some rice. "Noa-chan left it in his house"

"A-Ah... Yeah..." Daichi scratched his head. "You were going to study together, weren't you?"

Miyoko giggled playfully. "You know how teenagers are. I'm sure they did anything but study~"

Hayate chocked. He quickly took his glass and drank, trying to swallow the food which was stuck in his throat.

"W-What do you mean?" Daichi was confused. Since when those two got along so well? Why his mum was talking about Tsukishima and Noa as if they were more than friends?

"I only forgot my sweater in his house", Noa mumbled.

"I always have to look after you, Noa-san", Tsukishima added, but only Noa and Daichi could read his mocking tone.

Hayate smirked. "I didn't raise my daughter to depend on someone, young man. She knows how to look after herself without the help of anyone. Let alone a boy"

Miyoko smiled. "Excuse my husband, Tsukishima-kun. He's too overprotective". The woman nudged her husband. She wanted him to apologize, but he crossed his arms behaving like a child.

Daichi fixed his gaze on Noa and Tsukishima. After many seconds of intense gaze, both noticed it and stared back at him. Karasuno's captain furrowed his brow. He was sure that, whatever was happening between those two, it wasn't anything good. He was certain about it. It was not going to end well. And, probably, he was going to be caught in the middle of the storm that was coming.

* * *

 **Tsukishima has made a move. What do you think Noa's going to do next? You think she'll forget about it or she's already planning her vengeance? Poor Daichi... But maybe he's not going to be alone in the middle of Tsukishima and Noa's personal war. We'll see...**

 **And how do you think about how I'm going to write the matches? I'm not going to explain what is happening in every point during the match, but is it clear enough? The Preliminaries are starting in two chapters, so, please, if you have any ideas, just tell me :)**

* * *

 **CHARACTER PROFILE**  
HARADA AYAKO

 **Complete Name:** Harada Ayako

 **Date of birth:** March 4th

 **Age:** 16

 **Height:** 171.70 cm

 **Weight:** 62 kg

 **Appearance:** Ayako is one of the tallest members of the team. Her pale skin and blue eyes make her look like an innocent girl, but it's far from it –especially because she is frowning almost all the time.  
She has short dark blue hair. She has a twin sister and, although they look like exactly the same –they even have the same haircut–; Ayako brushes her bangs to the left while Ayaka brushes it to the right.

 **Personality:** She's hard-headed, stubborn, assertive, aggressive and sullen. She usually acts a bit cold to new people she encounters and hardly ever opens up to anyone. Ayako may be a bit distant and cold, but she tends to be silly and cheerful around her friends. She is very protective with her friends. If a girl hurts one of her friends she will yell at her but if it's a guy she will punch him without listen to him. In fact, she is a jealous girl especially in friendship, she is always afraid that friends could abandon her. But she is too proud to admit it. Besides, she is very uncomfortable with love and all things like that; she blushes very easily and denies all things even if they are true.  
Ayako is the type of person to say what she thinks, even if it hurts. But if it's one of her close friends she will try to say it more kindly.  
Plus she does her best for all except for school; she is so lazy for studying that she prefers doing what she wants.

 **Occupation:** High school student (2nd Year, Class 2)

 **Team:** Karasuno High

 **Number:** 3

 **Position:** Setter

 **Favorite food:** Shabu-Shabu

 **Goals:** Being able to toss hittable balls with her hands or platform when she is on the run

 **Current Concern:** Why everyone keeps teasing her about her confession to Wanabe Nagisa!? Geez… She has feelings too

 **Statistics** (out of 5)  
Power: 3  
Jump: 2  
Stamina: 3  
Strategy: 5  
Technique: 4  
Speed: 4

* * *

 **I hope you like Ayako's profile!**

 **Next chapter: This is war. Yay! Finally! Can you guess what will happen?**

 **~ See you next time!**


	21. This is war

**A/N: Hello everyone! Omg... I'm so sorry I haven't posted anything in more than a month, but I'm very busy lately. I found a job! Well, only for six months, but it's something related to journalism, what I studied at university, so it's a good opportunity for me. Now I have to work in the morning and I have French and English clases in the afternoon. And I have to finish my university projects as well! As you can imagine, I have little time to write, that's why the updates are going to be really slow until I finish clases.**  
 **On the other hand, thanks to everyone who reviewed and followed this story in the last weeks. Thank you so much!**

 **Luna: I hope you won't kill me for this. I agree with you, Noa and Asahi can be adorable, but they're awkward around each other. I won't spoil anything, but maybe you'll freak out with this chapter haha And I'm so glad everything was clear. It's so damn difficult to write a volleyball match, especially when I'm not an expert. **

**Areil408: Daichi and Noa will make up. I can't tell when, but it's sooner than you expect ;) I have everything planned and I think you're all going to love it.**

 **lovelydasom: Well, the bickering is getting serious. Tsukishima and Noa are going to get in trouble and that's going to increase the tensión between Noa and Daichi. But I guess I'm not saying anything that you don't know already. Anyway, just tell me what you think when you read this chapter. And I'm sorry for the slow update, but, as I said, I'm very busy right now. I'll make it up to all of you in summer. I promise!**

 **Melissa: Whao... Tsukishima and Noa? This is a new ship. But why am I not surprised? haha**

 **Enjoy the reading!**

 **I do not own Haikyuu or its characters**

* * *

 **CHAPTER TWENTY**  
This is war

Noa stretched on her chair as soon as she finished her lunch. After the hard morning practice and classes, she was hungry, so it took her only a few minutes to eat her bento.

Yachi and Hinata looked at her astonished while Kageyama was focused on his onigiri.

"I-Is it good for your body to eat so quickly?" Yachi questioned.

"Not actually", Noa tapped her full belly. "But I was starving. Practice whets my appetite"

"How is the training for the Preliminaries going?"

"Fine. We played a practice match against Kinga yesterday", Yachi and Hinata leaned forward, wanting to know more about that. "We lost", she added proudly.

"Don't say it so naturally", Kageyama spat, frowning when he saw Noa's smile on her face.

"It's fine. I think it was necessary for the group", Noa leaned forward as well and raised her index finger to catch their attention. "We found out something really interesting. Now we have an ace up our sleeve for the tournament"

"What kind of ace?" Hinata asked.

"It's a secret", Noa winked.

"You aren't going to tell us!?"

"Nope"

"I'm sure she's bluffing in", Kageyama smirked as he took with his chopsticks a piece of meat from his bento.

"No. I'm not!" Noa beamed. "But we can't say anything. Not yet. It has to be a surprise"

"It doesn't make any difference if you tell us. We are not your rivals", Kageyama added.

Noa lowered her voice. "There could be spies around us"

"Spies!?" Hinata squeaked, but he realized that he had spoken louder than normal, so he covered his mouth with his hands.

"That's right, Hinata. Spies", Noa followed. "When time comes, we'll tell you. Besides, we don't know yet how it works. We have little time to get used to it. We'll put it into practice in the Preliminaries. But only when things are getting really bad for us"

"You're so weird", Kageyama mumbled, his mouth full of food.

Noa narrowed her eyes, getting pissed off because it wasn't the first time that Kageyama spoke while eating.

"It's like the pot calling the kettle back!" She finally chimed.

"Hey, Noa-san", Hinata made a pause, hesitating. He wasn't sure if he should ask or not. "I've heard some girls in my class talking about it this morning and..." Noa raised an eyebrow. "They said you are dating Tsukishima"

"WHAT!?" Noa yelled, making Yachi almost choke because of the question and Noa's reaction.

"Th-They were saying that they heard you talking about it to a girl", Hinata fiddled with his fingers, afraid of being the one who would get all Noa's anger.  
Noa frowned, thoughtful. "Probably they heard me while speaking with Mayu..."

If someone in Karasuno was well aware of her personal war with Tsukishima, that was the libero. Although the second-year had warned her because she truly believed that it wasn't going to end well, Mayu seemed to be enjoying the whole situation more than she actually should.

"So it's true?" Yachi's eyes widened.

"No!" Noa grimaced. "We only studied together once. Once! And it's not going to happen again"

"Then you should clear up the misunderstanding. Now everyone will think that Tsukishima and you are dating"

Noa felt a shiver running down her spine when she heard Yachi's words. However, she was convinced that she didn't have anything to clear up. Because, basically, there was nothing. What's more, if she tried to clear up the misunderstanding, the rest of the high school would probably believe more in that stupid story. The better thing to do was forget about it, so people would think that there was nothing involving Tsukishima and Noa.

Noa put her hands on her desk and stood up.

"I feel like having something sweet. I'll get a milkshake"

"Ah!" Kageyama jumped a little bit. "I want milk yogurt!"

"Then, you stand up and go", Noa stuck her tongue out playfully. "Do you want anything?" Noa asked Hinata and Yachi.

"Milk yogurt is fine too", Hinata smiled.

"I want some tea"

"Okay! Let's go, Kageyama!"

"Really, why do I have to go?" He demanded.

"Don't be so grumpy", Noa took him by his uniform shirt and pulled him, almost dragging him out of the classroom. "You shouldn't let a girl carry everything all by herself"

Yachi sweat dropped while Hinata yelled at Kageyama how selfish he was.

"I can't tell if they get along or not..." She hummed, watching them leave.

Noa liked teasing Kageyama sometimes, but not at the same level as Tsukishima. She got along well with the setter, although people might think that it was otherwise. They didn't need to talk much nor seeing each other frequently. And, although they were just the two of them -it didn't happen quite often-, both were comfortable in each other's company, even in silence.

"It isn't fair that I'm the one who has to go with you", he was muttering the whole time until they reached one of the vending machines.

Noa rolled her eyes. "There, there". Noa got on her tiptoes and tapped Kageyama's top of his head. "You should feel grateful because you are escorting a beautiful girl"

"Huh?" Kageyama raised an eyebrow, but he suddenly whined when Noa's fist went straight his ribs.

"Pretend at least that you love the idea!"

"Why would I do that!?" He put his hands on his side, still hurting.

"Courtesy, Tobio-kun, courtesy", Noa smiled at him, a dark aura surrounding her, what made Kageyama shivered.

After buying the drinks, the two of them went back. However, when they were going upstairs, Ono-sensei's face leaned out of one of the classrooms.

"Ah! Furihata-san! You are free. I need you to help me"

Noa turned around. It was weird that her teacher was only addressing to her, but then she noticed that Kageyama was nowhere to be seen. As soon as he saw their teacher, he had sneaked away to get back to classroom. He had left her alone. Was Kageyama now a ninja? _That moron_ , she hissed.

Noa sighed and agreed to help her English teacher. Her chocolate milkshake should wait.

"Can you carry this box to the third floor?" The man took the box full of papers which was on his desk and dropped it in Noa's arms.

Despite of being only papers, it was heavier than she thought.

"Be careful", Ono-sensei chuckled when he saw Noa staggered until she managed to keep her balance. "Put them in the classroom which is at the end of the hallway, please"

Using her right foot Noa opened the door and left the classroom. She climbed upstairs carefully, trying not to trip due to the fact that the box size didn't let her see what was in front of her.

She tried to concentrate on anything else instead of how heavy that damn box was. She was carrying it for a few minutes, but her arms were already shaking. But, then, the weight disappeared from her arms and the box rose over her head. Noa blinked, confused. Someone was carrying now the box for her. She looked up and, finally, Asahi's face appeared behind the box, smiling gently.

"A-Asahi-san!" Noa squeaked loudly. She hadn't seen him since the previous day, not after what she had said to him. "I can do it!" She lied, trying to snatch it from him.

"I've seen you lurching on the hallway", Asahi chuckled. "Why are you carrying this heavy box all by yourself? You can hurt your back"

"Ono-sensei asked me. And it would have been easier if that stupid Kageyama hadn't left..." Noa muttered, clearly pissed off with the first-year setter.

"That's not good", Asahi sweat dropped.

"He's really going to get it..." Noa raised her fist, but, when she looked up, she realized that Asahi was looking at her puzzled. She giggled nervously and flushed. Why did she always have to behave like a child in front of him? She felt stupid.

Noa walked next to the Ace in an uncomfortable silence until they got to the end of the hallway.

None of them was courageous enough to look at each other, so they glanced anywhere but them. What were they supposed to say? Once Asahi would put the box on the table, they could take different paths and the discomfort they were feeling would disappear.

However, when they left the classroom, both stopped in front of the door. Noa fiddled with her fingers, feeling how her cheeks were burning. She was almost willing to run away at any time, especially if that way she could prevent Asahi from noticing her blush.

But he spoke.

"Th-Thank you for yesterday's breakfast", Asahi stuttered. "I couldn't thank you properly". Noa looked up. He was rubbing the back of his neck, embarrassed. "I'm not used to having pancakes for breakfast, but they were delicious"

"Really?" Noa's eyes sparkled.

Asahi nodded. "Yeah. Suga liked them too. You should make them again". He went silent for a few seconds until he started to stutter uncontrollably. "I mean... You know... It's not an order. Far from that! I-"

Noa burst into laughter. "It's fine, Asahi-san". He might have the look of a tough boy, but the Ace turned out to be adorable. "You can come to our house whenever you want. I'll make them for you"

Asahi smiled shyly and nodded. Without any of them noticing, both started to walk together again, this time to get back to their classrooms. But, although the third-years' classroom were in the third floor, Asahi insisted on walking with her towards her classroom since he didn't have anything better to do.

"How... How was your practice match?" Asahi asked when he remembered the conversation both had a day ago.

"Great. Although we lost"

"Really?" Asahi seemed surprised. "Michimiya-san, Nagano-san and Niimura-san seemed happy and excited for the Preliminaries"

"Seriously?" Noa smiled. She didn't know the third-years were looking forward to competing. They had improved a lot as a team since they had met. "That makes me very happy. Now, more than ever, I think when can qualify for the Spring High tournament, you know?" Noa scratched her head and giggled. "Although maybe I'm being too presumptuous"

"It's not that bad", Noa stared at Asahi. He was looking forward, a soft expression on his face. "You just have a good feeling about it. I wish we could go to Nationals too"

"Of course!" Noa beamed. "You'll go to the Nationals, Asahi-san! I believe in you!"

"Th-Thank you", he mumbled. He scratched his cheek, nervous. "Hey, Noa-san... About what you told me yesterday... I-"

"A-Ah..." Noa cut him off. She was hoping that he had forgotten about it, so she didn't even know how to explain herself. "Huh" She didn't know what he was going to say, but she was sure that it was going to be embarrassing for both of them, so she didn't want to hear it.

Suddenly, the school bell warned them that the classes were about to start. Noa felt especially relieved because she didn't have to reply immediately to whatever Asahi wanted to tell her. At least, not yet.

She thanked him for his help and his company and she entered her classroom without looking back, so she wasn't able to see Asahi's face. He looked around and sighed, feeling relief. No one seemed to have noticed how anxious he always was around Noa's presence.

 **...**

It was official. Tsukishima Kei hated Furihata Noa.

Well, actually, it wasn't a secret that they hated each other. But, in the last couple of days, all the bickering between them had increased significantly.  
She was the one who had started a war that none of them knew how to end it. She was the one who had caused a series of misunderstandings which had cost him more than a talk – in fact, very embarrassing talks – at home.

That's why he decided to counterattack. The fact that she had left her sweater in his house after studying in his room made things easier for him. He had shown up in her house and he had made her go through the same humiliation he had experienced with his mum and brother because of her. It was all her fault.

It could have ended like that. They were at peace. Yet, Furihata Noa, as stupid as ever, had still gone too far.

When Tsukishima had arrived home the previous night after spending the whole afternoon practicing, the sweet smell of baking delighted him as soon as he opened the door. He was excited, imagining his mum baking a cake, so he took off his shoes and walked towards the kitchen. But, without a doubt, he wasn't expecting to find her there.

Furihata Noa was wearing an apron and she was decorating some shortcake with his mum. Apparently, she had shown up in his house to surprise him. And, well, she definitely did it. But not in the way his mother believed. According to her, Noa wanted to prepare something special for him, so his mum had taught her how to bake shortcake, his favorite food.

Tsukishima had to bear with all cheesy stuff she had forced him to do. He whispered to her, when his mum wasn't paying attention, that she was going to pay for it. But she didn't quit. In fact, she challenged him again to keep trying.

And, to top it all, some classmates, people he had never talked to since classes started, had approached him to ask him if he was dating Furihata. Tsukishima didn't know where that stupid rumor came from, but he preferred not to pay them attention. At least, for the moment. His blunt response had seemed enough for them to stop asking him about it.

So he had to think and prepare something great, something that could end that stupid war and make him win it once for all.

He then realized that the plan he needed to win was in front of him. And he hadn't noticed until that morning, when he left the restrooms and saw it with his own eyes.

Asahi and Furihata were speaking in front of the girl's classroom.

At first, Tsukishima wondered why Asahi was talking to her. But then he watched her curiously and that's when he noticed her body language. Flushed cheeks, trembling legs, stuttering... Tsukishima smirked. How didn't he notice before? That explained many things. For example, the fact that the only person Furihata addressed properly was Asahi. She was concerned about what he might think about her.

The only thing he needed now was the right moment to act. And, definitely, it was his lucky day because things were going smoothly for him. Maybe too much. But, who cared?

"TSUKISHIMAAAAA!"

In the locker room, Nishinoya and Tanaka jumped almost on top of him.

"What are you doing?"

"What are you thinking, Tsukishima!?" Nishinoya yelled.

"Noa-san is Daichi-san's precious little sister!" Tanaka pointed at him in an accusing way.

"Stepsister", Ennoshita corrected.

"Stop making a fuss!" The captain scolded them.

"You too?" Tsukishima rolled his eyes.

"Shouyou told us", Nishinoya pointed at Hinata, who hid behind Yamaguchi.

"It's not what you think", Tsukishima replied, taking his sneakers out of his sport bag.

"I... I didn't know you get along so well" Asahi mentioned while he finished fixing his hair.

Tsukishima felt like grinning, but he held it, keeping his stoic expression.

"I only helped Furihata-san with something"

"Are you going to continue studying together?" Daichi raised an eyebrow. He hadn't spoken to Noa about it. In fact, it had been a long time since the last time they had talked. But he was certain that the situation had gotten worse between those two in the last couple of days, when Noa studied in the middle blocker's house.

"I'm afraid we are not", Tsukishima replied honestly. "Furihata-san needed help with other things I can't do anything about"

"Tsukishima you bastard…." Nishinoya looked daggers at him.

"Once again, it's not what you think" The blond frowned.

"Then speak clearly!" The libero put his hands in his hips.

"Ah~ I don't know if I should tell you~" Tsukishima looked away, pretending to be uncomfortable.

"Tell us what?" Tanaka, Nishinoya and Hinata approached him, feeling curious about it.

"It's very personal. She could get mad at me if any of you find out"

"Then, that means it has something to do with us!" Tanaka jumped a little bit.

"Maybe~"

"Just say it!" Nishinoya beamed.

"Well... Furihata-san asked me for advice because she doesn't know how to get closer to a certain boy"

Everyone went silent until Tanaka and Nishinoya burst into laughter. Tsukishima narrowed his eyes.

"Why was she going to ask you for advice?"

"She wasn't obviously going to ask _you_ ", Tsukishima furrowed his brow.

"Oi! Don't be so mean", both second-years muttered.

"And who is he?" Suga demanded.

"Since when are you interested in this kind of things?" Daichi asked.

"I'm just curious", the setter smiled innocently, but Daichi sweat dropped. He knew Sugawara well enough to know that he was up to no good.

"Okay. Stop it", Daichi added. "That's part of Noa's privacy. I'm sure that the last thing she wants to happen is for us to know"

"She told Tsukishima!" Nishinoya protested.

"Ma-Maybe she likes one of us!" Hinata jumped a little bit. "Maybe it's Kageyama!"

Everyone turned around to look at the first-year setter. Kageyama raised both eyebrows, without understanding why everyone was staring suddenly at him.

"Noa-san has forced him to go with her to buy together some drinks for lunch!" Hinata added.

"Ooohhh", the rest of the team said at unison.

"Oi!" Kageyama furrowed his brow. "What are you talking about!? She always does the same!"

"Oooohhh"

"It's not Kageyama", Tsukishima said, catching everyone's attention again. Using the setter for his own purpose was interesting as well, but, knowing how clueless Kageyama was, it was better to choose a different target.

"So... Noa-san likes other boy who isn't Kageyama?" Asahi scratched his head.

Tsukishima sighed. "I think it's pretty obvious who it is. I shouldn't even say it"

"Say it!" Nishinoya and Tanaka yelled at the same time.

"Asahi-san", Tsukishima glanced at the Ace. "Haven't you noticed that Furihata-san treats you differently?

"M-Me?" The third-year blinked, confused.

"Oh my~", Suga punched him in the ribs making Asahi whined in pain.

"Hold on a second, Tsukishima", Daichi spoke, trying to put some sanity. "Are you suggesting what I think you are suggesting?"

"Well", the blond shrugged. "She's always nice with Asahi-san. Besides, she usually doesn't use the honorifics; she always says that she doesn't know how to use them well. But the fact is that Asahi-san is the only exception"

"And she made him breakfast yesterday~" Suga added.

"W-What!?" Asahi squeaked. "That's not true!" The boy tried to defend himself. She had prepared it for everyone, right? The Ace looked at Daichi, who was staring at him with his arms crossed over his chest. "I-It's not what you think! I... I wouldn't approach Noa-san that way!"

"Then you should talk to her, Asahi-san", Ennoshita suggested.

"You think so?"

"Be a man, Asahi!" Nishinoya tapped his back, making the third-year smile awkwardly.

Tsukishima smirked, leaving the locker room and heading towards the gym without no one noticing.

 **...**

Mayu chortled as she walked with Noa through the campus towards the library after finishing their afternoon practice.

"So someone heard us talk about it this morning?"

"Yes", Noa huffed. "People in this high school are idiots. They should mind their own business!"

"This is getting out of hand"

"If that stupid four-glasses thinks that I'm going to lose against him, he's wrong!" Noa raised her head, arrogant. "Studying with him was a mistake. I just wanted to bother him and make things clear for Akiteru-san. It's impossible for us to be more than one minute without fighting. But things got complicated and there's no going back right now"

"At least you could ask Yoshino-san for help instead of me". Both girls entered the library, lowering their voices to not disturb the people who were already studying. "She is the best student in the team. Her grades are perfect. She has always helped us when we didn't understand something"

"I know. But I don't want to bother her. She had to study for her exams. She wants to go to a good university"

Both girls took a seat in a table near the shelves and then they took their books out of their bags to do some homework. After what had happened with Tsukishima, Noa asked Mayu if she could study with her from now on and the libero didn't complain about it.

Mayu wasn't a bad student, but she wasn't excellent either. She just didn't stand out. She usually passed all her exams, but, as a student, she was unnoticed. Yet, she was hoping that she'd be able to solve all Noa's doubts.

Noa's idea of studying together took her by surprise. The libero accepted because she truly liked the first-year, they got along well.  
Mayu looked up and glanced at Noa, who was engrossed by some Math problems.

 _They were friends._

That thought had crossed Mayu's mind more than once. They had met not long ago, only a few months ago. Noa was even a year younger, but Mayu had shared more experiences with her than with anyone else, especially her classmates. They understood each other well just by staring at each other. That's why she had been considering sharing with her things she hadn't confessed to anyone. But she was afraid of being rejected. What if Noa wasn't as kind and thoughtful as she thought?

Under the table, Noa could feel one of Mayu's foot moving, as if she was nervous about something.

Noa looked at her and raised an eyebrow.

"Mayu-san, you are getting on my nerves", she finally whispered when the second-year didn't notice her stare.

"I-I'm sorry", she tried to hide her sweaty palms, but it was already too late. Noa clicked her tongue. Mayu was worried about something.

"Are you okay?" She asked. Noa had noticed that Mayu was acting weird during the last couple of days. She could be laughing, talking about anything, but, suddenly, it was as if Mayu changed her mood in the blink of an eye and then she was serious. On the other hand, there were times when she seemed a jumble of nerves. "Is it about the Preliminaries?"

"What?" Mayu seemed disappointed, but Noa couldn't tell why. "N-No. It's nothing"

Noa went silent for a few seconds. Maybe she shouldn't insist on the matter if Mayu didn't want to speak about it. If the libero wanted to tell her, she'd do it when she was ready.

"Fine", the libero left the pencil on the table. Noa raised her gaze again and raised an eyebrow. As easy as that was it to make her talk? "I have to tell you something"

"Okay", Noa put the pen on the table, ready to pay attention to whatever her friend wanted to tell her. "I'm all ears"

"You are the first person I'm telling this", the libero fiddled with her fingers. "I... I want to tell you because you are my friend. Well, at least that's how I feel and... I mean... If after what I'm going to tell you, you want to stop being my friend, I'll understand it"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Noa frowned. She was starting to get a little bit scared, to be honest.

"I... Huh... I..." Mayu was sweating. Even she went pale. "I like girls", she finally confessed, closing her eyes, afraid of seeing Noa's reaction.

During a few seconds, Noa's expression went blank, but, at the end, she shrugged.

"Okay"

And, then, she took her pen again and continued doing her Math exercises as if nothing had happened.

Mayu opened one eye. She couldn't believe it. That was all? She opened and closed her mouth, astonished by the first-year's reaction.

"You... You aren't going to tell me anything?"

"Why would I do it?" Noa kept writing on her notebook. "You like girls, so what?"

Mayu giggled nervously. She grabbed her history book and hit Noa with him.

"Ouch!" She whined loudly.

"Shhhhhh"

"Sorry", she whispered to apologize. "What the hell is wrong with you!?" She gave Mayu a death stare.

"No. What the hell is wrong with you!?" Mayu frowned. "I've spent many days feeling anxious. I thought you were going to stop being my friend because of this!"

"Why would I stop being your friend because you like girls? That's absurd!" Noa massaged her itchy arm, right where Mayu had hit her with the book.

"I'm... I've never been good at making girl friends", Mayu blushed. "When I was in school they avoided me because they found me a tomboy. So I thought... I thought you'd be scared. I thought you were going to misunderstand what I was saying and... Well... That you were going to think that-"

"You like girls. So what? Were you really worry about it because you thought I was going to think that you were in love with me or some shit like that?" Noa shook her head no. "Mayu, I'm your friend because of who you are. You are kind, funny, sensitive, and more talkative than what people think... I like playing volleyball with you. You are the best teammate I could ever wish for. And the best senpai. Do you really think that the fact that you like girls would matter to me?" Noa smiled gently. "Mayu-san, you are my best friend. You helped me a lot when I arrived to Japan"

Mayu's eyes watered and Noa chuckled. No one, ever, had told her that she was her best friend.

"Does everyone know? The rest of the team, I mean"

"No! You are the first one to know about this. So don't tell anyone, please!" Mayu panicked. "If they find out, maybe they won't react like you"

"Yeah. I get it", Noa smiled. "Your secret is safe with me"

Mayu nodded and smiled back.

Although she tried to get back to her homework, she was incapable of concentrating; Furihata Noa was a great person. And she was her friend. Her best friend.

Now she felt a little bit stupid for doubting her. For days, Mayu had been fighting with her inner self. But she finally managed to get over her fears and now she felt relieved. She felt free. And it was a fantastic feeling.

Yet, she was still feeling uncertainty because now that Noa knew her secret, she couldn't guess how things were going to be between them. Noa could have told her that it didn't matter, but Mayu thought that she should wait to make sure that it was true.

Once she started to stay calm, Mayu took her pencil again to continue doing her homework. However, she noticed someone moving. Behind a shelf, Azumane Asahi was watching them. Mayu blinked, confused. When the third-year noticed that she had seen him, he jumped a little bit and tried to hide behind some books without much success. Mayu raised an eyebrow, puzzled by her senpai's behavior and glanced at Noa.

"Noa", she whispered, leaning forward. The girl raised her gaze. "I think someone has come to see you"

Mayu pointed with her head towards the shelves. Noa looked in that direction and blinked confused when she saw Asahi waving sheepishly his right hand at her from behind a shelf.

"I think he wants to speak", Mayu added.

"With me!?" Noa's eyes widened. She was starting to panick. She had already seen him during lunch. Why did he want to talk to her again!?

Noa looked at Mayu, pleading her. She didn't want to be alone with Asahi. It was uncomfortable for both of them. But what could she do?

"Go", Mayu started to put away her things for her. "Besides, it's already late. If Azumane-san is here, that's because he has already finished practice"

"Y-Yeah... That's true", Noa put her books in her backpack. "But, aren't you coming with me?"

"He wants to talk to you, not me"

Noa flushed and, then, Mayu realized what was actually going on. She smirked.

"It's not what you think!" She warned her.

"Your panicked face says otherwise", Mayu giggled. "Don't worry. Everything will be fine"

Noa sighed and stood up. "See you tomorrow"

"Yes. See you tomorrow"

Mayu watched Noa approaching Asahi. They looked at everywhere, but them, what made Mayu held a laughter. They were adorable. However, she was curious to know what a third-year had to talk with a first-year, so she put all her things in her backpack as well and started to follow them discreetly. Noa wouldn't get mad at her if she didn't find out, right?

Meanwhile, Noa walked with Asahi in silence. The first-year could feel her cheeks burning because she could imagine why Asahi was suddenly interested in talking to her. She was sure it had something to do with her invitation to eat together one day. And it wasn't as if she wanted to. Well, she couldn't say she actually didn't want to. But everything was too complicated for her and she was afraid Asahi could misunderstand the situation. The only thing she knew it was that she felt nervous around the Ace presence.

"How... How was practice?" Noa asked in a tiny voice, hoping that uncomfortable silence between them would end as soon as possible.

"Ah... G-Great!" Asahi rubbed the back of his neck. He seemed even more uncomfortable than her. He was looking everywhere, as if he was being consumed by something.

"Is something wrong, Asahi-san?"

"N-No! Why would be something wrong?"

"Because you never come to pick me up after practice"

Asahi stopped in his tracks. She had a point. Noa walked forward a little bit until she stopped as well. She turned around, facing him.

The sun had already set. The sky was clear and several stars could be seen that night. The autumn breeze blew between them, stirring Noa's long hair. She managed to grab one rebel lock of hair and she put it behind her ear as she stared at Asahi. He pressed his lips in a thin line, feeling his heart in his throat.

Finally, he spoke.

"You are a good girl, Noa-san", Asahi stuttered a little bit, not knowing how he should continue. "And I thank you for all your interest in me, but, but I..." He rubbed the back of his neck, uncomfortable. "Y-You are Daichi's sister and... That's... Well... That's not right"

"Wh-What?" Noa wasn't sure if she had heard well. Was Asahi really turning her down without her even confessing? What the hell was happening?

"I...I don't want you to feel bad about this. I mean. You are beautiful, like a lot, and nice and I like spending time with you"

Wait. Had Asahi just said her that she was beautiful!?

Asahi giggled nervously. "Aaahh... Maybe I shouldn't have said that... Because it's confusing and... And I..." He seemed about to collapse.

"Wh-Why?" Noa's voice trembled. "What is this?"

"I..." Asahi seemed confused, as much as her. To be honest, he wasn't even sure why he was saying all those things. It didn't feel right. "You are Daichi's sister and... Volleyball and high school are important to me. I just want to be focus on that"

Well, at least, he was really proud of his reasoning. Asahi smiled, but all his confidence vanished when he saw Noa's expression on her face. She looked pissed off.

She took a step forward. "You are an idiot!"

She punched him several times in his chest using her tiny fists. Asahi tried to protect himself because, as much as she was much smaller than him, she was hurting him.

"You-You are hurting me!" The Ace whined.

Noa stopped immediately. She looked daggers at him. Was it really a problem, that she was Daichi's sister? They weren't even blood related!

She turned around, walking away from him. Asahi startled, but he realized quickly that he should do something because he didn't want her to be mad at him.

"I'm sorry, Noa-san!" He apologized, catching up with her pace. "I'm sorry, but I was worry about you since what Tsukishima told me"

Noa stopped on her tracks, but she didn't even look at him. She stared forward.

"I just hope we can still be friends because-"

"What did you just say?"

Asahi felt a shiver running down his spine when he heard Noa's sweet voice.

"That... I hope we won't stop being friends"

"Not that", Noa stared at him.

"You mean that Tsukishima was the one who told me?" Asahi hesitated.

"Tsukishima did what!?" Noa tried to stay calm, but she could feel the anger raising.

"Well", Asahi rubbed the back of his neck. Tsukishima had told them all that without Noa's permission. He was hoping that she wouldn't get mad at the blond.

"We were joking before practice about the fact that he was spending some time alone with you, so he told us that, actually, you asked him for help regarding to one of us. But he didn't want to tell us! Tanaka, Nishinoya and Hinata were really tiresome about it, so he told me that… Well… You were interested in me"

Noa's jaw dropped. She clenched her fists furiously and, then, she broke out. Tsukishima had gone too far that time. Who did he think he was to do that!?

Without adding anything else, Noa turned around and ran away. Asahi stretched his arm as if trying to reach her, but he wasn't sure if that was the right thing.

 _Oh crap_ , Mayu thought. She had been hidden behind one of the trees of the campus, eavesdropping their conversation. She came out of hiding and started running as well after her friend.

"Azumane-san!" Asahi turned around. A short-haired girl was running towards him. "We have to stop her!" Asahi blinked confused. "She is going to kill Tsukishima!"

The Karasuno's female volleyball team libero ran past him. After several minutes processing what had just happened, Asahi shrieked and started to run as well. He immediately understood that Noa must be furious at Tsukishima and, knowing her temper, nothing good was going to happen if they didn't stop her.

Noa ran through the campus willing to kill with her own hands that four-glasses. From afar, she started to see the gym where the volleyball team practiced. The lights were still on and she was able to hear the sound of squeaking sneakers against the wood floor.

"Where is he!?" She demanded, sticking her head into the gym. Hinata, Yamaguchi, Kageyama and Yachi, who were still putting away the equipment, jumped a little bit. Noa was breathing fast and her eyes were bulging. "Tsukishima! Where is he!?"

"Tsu-Tsukki has gone to change", Yamaguchi answered, frightened by Noa. She looked like a demon.

Noa nodded and disappeared in the blink of an eye. The four first-years remained standing, unable to move, still staring at the gym door although Noa wasn't already there. A few seconds later, Asahi ran past the gym and, then, a short-haired girl appeared after him. The four first-years exchanged looks. There must be something huge happening, so they left the gym as quickly as they could, towards the locker room.

It didn't take Noa long to arrive to the locker room and she opened the door kicking it with her right foot. Kinoshita squeaked when he saw de the girl and he tried to cover his naked chest with his backpack.

But Noa was searching for someone in particular and he spotted a certain blond at the back of the locker room.

"I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!"

Like a lion with its prey, Noa leaped on Tsukishima. She tried to slap him, but her fingers only rubbed his cheek. Someone had managed to stop her before she could hit him. However, her long nails scratched a little bit his skin, making Tsukishima click his tongue because of the slight pain.

"Let me go!" Noa tried to defend herself, but Tanaka had been faster. Sugawara had rushed to help him as he was having some trouble to control her.

"What do you think you are doing?" Tsukishima touched his cheek, but, fortunately, he wasn't bleeding.

"No! The question is what you are doing. Are you stupid or something!? What did you said to Asahi-san!?" She demanded.

"Noa-san, stay calm", Suga whispered.

"I can't stay calm! I've been humiliated!"

"What have you done?" Nishinoya put his hands in his hips and looked at Asahi, who had arrived followed by the rest. The libero raised an eyebrow. "I told you to be a man!"

"I... I... I'm so sorry, Noa-san!"

"Don't apologize!" Noa seemed more relaxed. Tanaka stopped holding her, although he still had his hand on her back in case she tried to hit Tsukishima again.

"It was his entire fault!" Noa pointed at the middle blocker using her index finger. "Whatever he had told you, it's a lie!"

"Then, you are not interested in me?" Asahi was puzzled, but Noa didn't reply. She was focus on Tsukishima instead of him.

"You have crossed the line, moron!" She barked.

"Just like you!"

"It's not the same!" Noa was furious. "You are involving people from school! You have involved Asahi-san!"

"You wanted me to play your game. And that's what I've done", Tsukishima frowned. "But now you don't like what's happening in a war you started in the first place. You are like a child"

"The only child here is you! You didn't have the right to say to Asahi-san something like that!"

"Oh come on..." Tsukishima rolled his eyes. "It's pretty obvious that you like Asahi-san. What surprises me the most is that no one realized before. You're always blushing when he's around. And don't make me talk about the honorifics"

Noa couldn't believe what she was hearing. Let alone the rest of the team -including the poor Mayu who was standing behind Asahi, watching helpless how Noa was getting more and more frustrated by the situation.

"Besides, why are you so angry?" Tsukishima added. "If it isn't true, you could have just explained Asahi-san that it was a misunderstanding", Tsukishima smirked mischievously and leaned forward. "Are you mad at me because I tell everyone one of deepest secrets?"

Noa opened her mouth and, then, flushed. "And what the bleep do you know, huh!?"

"Well, you challenged me and I accepted. That's all", Tsukishima grinned proudly. "We played a game and I think we already have a winner. You lose. Game over"

"Are you kidding me!?" Noa's face reddened, full of rage. What the hell was that four-eyes thinking? He thought he was smarter than her, but he was being an asshole. She tried again to leap on him, but Tanaka and Sugawara were faster to stop her. "I'll kill you, you idiot!"

"Stop making such a fuss. You are being pathetic", he mocked, taking his sport bag.

"STOP RIGHT NOW"

Everyone froze. Daichi had remained silent, almost hidden in a corner of the locker room, so no one had remembered that he was still there. Karasuno's captain preferred not to interfere in what was going on, but the situation was out of hand. He had to do something, especially when neither Noa nor Tsukishima were willing to yield in that stupid war.

He knew it. He knew from the very beginning. The bickering between those two wasn't going to end well. He knew as well that he was going to be involved and he didn't want to. So he was pissed off. Everyone noticed when their felt Daichi's gaze on them.

"Daichi-san..." Tanaka mumbled, stepping away from Noa.

"I won't allow this kind of behavior in the locker room", the third-year crossed his arms over his chest. He was serious, his expression was terrifying. He was mad. "You could be expelled if someone finds out about what had just happened"

Tsukishima opened his mouth to reply to his captain. It wasn't his fault. Noa was the one who had tried to hit him. However, Daichi glanced at him. And that was enough to not question him.

"I knew from the beginning that I had to intervene when you appeared in my house and stayed for dinner", Daichi looked at Tsukishima.

"He did what?" Suga raised an eyebrow. How much had they missed?

"I can't believe you've involved so many people", Daichi frowned. "Congratulations, both of you have lost more than won. You have showed us how childish and immature you are". Daichi made a pause. "Leave this locker room immediately. I don't want to see you around here for the time being"

Noa's eyes widened when Daichi stared at her while pronouncing those words. She pressed her lips on a thin line, willing to yell at Daichi. She wanted to tell him how much she hated him at that moment, although deep down she knew that she was going to regret it.

However, before all that came out from her mouth, Mayu took her arm gently and dragged her out.

"I'm so sorry, Sawamura-san", the libero bowed before leaving the locker room.

Noa pushed Mayu away and she turned around, leaving all alone the locker room. The boys stepped aside to let her go. But, before leaving, Noa glanced over her shoulder, looking daggers at Daichi. The captain gritted his teeth, but he didn't add anything else. He was certain that Noa's behavior was caused by her annoyance. Yet, he saw at that moment a part of her he didn't like at all. Despite of everything, Noa was grudging. And, if they didn't talk about what was happening between them, if they didn't find a solution, it would be too late.

It was then when Daichi realized about it. All progress they had done was going to be wasted forever if they didn't do something.

* * *

 **I hoped you'd like this chapter! I think this one is the longer I've ever written!**

 **Next, other character profile. Let's keep knowing better Karasuno girls' volleyball team :)**

* * *

 **CHARACTER PROFILE**  
HARADA AYAKA

 **Complete Name:** Harada Ayaka

 **Date of birth:** March 4th

 **Age:** 16

 **Height:** 172.01 cm

 **Weight:** 63 kg

 **Appearance:** Ayaka is one of the tallest members of the team. Her pale skin and blue eyes make her look like an innocent girl, but it's far from it –especially because she loves teasing and mocking people.  
She has short dark blue hair. She has a twin sister and, although they look like exactly the same –they even have the same haircut–; Ayaka brushes her bangs to the right while Ayako brushes it to the left.

 **Personality:** Ayaka isn't afraid to say her opinion, especially on something she is passionate about. Due to her hard-headed nature and stubbornness, Ayaka is very difficult to sway, and will put up a fight for her own right. Normally, she keeps her thoughts and problems to herself and keeps a poker face, and brushes off many problems keeping her carefree. Raising her voice in various situations is a regular -and has a very booming voice for a female like herself.  
She's usually seen with a poker face or a large grin plastered on her features. She loves teasing people. You could say it's like a hobby. She knows how to read people, so she takes advantage of it to mock them. People normally try to get their revenge by doing the same, but it doesn't work. Ayaka doesn't care about almost anything. She will just shrug and let it be. That's why she hasn't got many friends as people tend to think that it's difficult to deal with her. However, she's much simpler than what people actually think.

 **Occupation:** High school student (2nd Year, Class 2)

 **Team:** Karasuno High

 **Number:** 4

 **Position:** Middle blocker

 **Favorite food:** Sukiyaki

 **Goals:** Improving her blocks. She wants to experience how it is to score a point just by blocking her oponent

 **Current Concern:** Concern? What is that? Does that word even exist?

 **Statistics** (out of 5)  
Power: 3  
Jump: 3  
Stamina: 4  
Strategy: 4  
Technique: 3  
Speed: 3

* * *

 **Next chapter: The orange string of fate**

 **~ See you next time!**


	22. The orange string of fate

**A/N: Hello everyone! Here I am with a new chapter! I'm sue many of you are going to love it, especially the last part of the chapter. Thanks for following and favoriting this story during the last weeks.**

 **Guest: Thank you for congratulating me on my new job and wishing me luck with my classes! I don't have much time for myself, but summer is around the corner and I'll be free from clases at least. I hope you enjoy this chapter :)**

 **Luna: Are you sure I crushed your dreams? I mean... This won't be the last interaction between Asahi and Noa. They'll have their little cute moments. And well, concerning Daichi and Noa I might have granted your wish ;) I kind of miss their little bonding moments.**

 **rycmika: Thank you! Actually, you are not the only one who ships Tsukishima and Noa haha Other people have already told me the same thing.**

 **Enjoy the reading!**

 **I do not own Haikyuu and its characters**

* * *

 **CHAPTER TWENTY ONE**  
The orange string of fate

Hinata blinked confused. The orange-haired approached one of the desks which was at the end of the classroom and leaned forward. Noa, who didn't have lunch with them as she normally did, was hidden behind a book and notebook wall. Hinata came closer and tried to look above them to check that she was actually there. He tilted his head, confused by her strange attitude while Yachi watched them concerned. All her efforts to prevent Hinata from approaching Noa, who probably wanted to be alone, were in vain.

Finally, Noa noticed that she was being watched. She raised her gaze and, when her eyes met Hinata's, she blushed, took one of the books of her 'wall' and threw it at him. He managed to dodge it, but the book hit Kageyama's face instead.

"HINATA, YOU IDIOT" Kageyama grabbed Hinata by the collar of his shirt.

"I-It wasn't my fault!" Hinata mumbled. "I didn't throw that book! It was Noa-san!"

Kageyama looked daggers at Noa, who was trying to hide again behind a book. The setter hissed and snatched it from her hands, forcing her to stare at him. Noa held her gaze and, after a few seconds of silence between the two of them, in which Hinata and Yachi felt anguished, Noa spoke.

"You look like a clown", she stated. Kageyama's nose was red and a bit swollen.

"Well, I don't know who is the one to blame", he narrowed his eyes. "What the hell are you doing?"

"I'm avoiding you! Can't you see it!?" She replied, snatching the book from his hands and, then, putting it again in the 'wall'.

"What's got into you now?"

"Are you stupid?" Noa grimaced. Seriously, did Kageyama really have to ask her?

Kageyama frowned upset. "Oi! Don't insult me!"

"Where have you been yesterday after practice?" She crossed her arms, trying to make her point.

Kageyama remained silent, trying to remember. "Oh", he finally said as soon as he recalled the argument or whatever had happened the day before.

Noa sighed as she ran her hand through her long black hair. She felt defeated, ashamed for what happened the day before, for her behavior and for the fact that everyone in the volleyball team had witnessed it. She wasn't even brave enough to look at them. She had managed to avoid them in the high school entrance and the hallways, but, finally, at lunch, it has been impossible.

At that moment, when she felt that she should apologize properly and give some explanations for her behavior, she had a quickly change of mind, incapable of being honest with anyone. She thought that staying at home, hidden under the blankets, was the best idea. However, Mayu knew her very well. The libero, who lived far from her, had woken up earlier that morning only to go to Noa's house and dragged her out of bed, as if she could read Noa's mind. And that scared Noa sometimes, how well Mayu could see through her.

On the other hand, Noa wanted to apologize to her as well. Mayu was forced to interfere and she was the one who had stopped her from making a huge mistake. When that morning Noa was finally brave enough to open her mouth to express how sorry she was –although her pride used to be stronger than her–, Mayu suddenly chortled. Even though the second-year was certain that she might look like crazy, she already knew how Noa felt and she didn't want to force a conversation that it was uncomfortable for both of them. They would have plenty of time to talk about it. And there wasn't even anything to apologize for. Because they were friends and that's what friends are for.

"Let's just forget about what happened yesterday, okay?" Noa finally spoke.

"D-Don't you think you should talk to-"

"I'm not going to talk to anybody", Noa cut Yachi off. "At least, not now. I don't want to talk about it. It was embarrassing"

"Don't worry, Noa-san!" Hinata smiled, reassuringly. "You'll get over Asahi-san's turn down!"

Yachi's eyes widened. She was about to panic, so she looked at Noa apologetically.

"And you made such a fuss only for that?" Kageyama asked as he sipped his milk yogurt. "I didn't know it was only for that"

"I wasn't turned down!" Noa slammed her hands on her desk. The noise and her yell caught the attention of the rest of the students who were in the class, who turned around to stare at her curiously. Many of them chuckled, so Noa huffed, feeling her cheeks warm. "I wasn't turned down", she repeated, this time in such a low voice that Yachi, Hinata and Kageyama had to lean forward to hear well. "Asahi-san is an idiot, but he couldn't turn me down because I didn't confess. And I'm not going to do it. _Ever!_ " She crossed her arms over her chest.

Yachi sighed. "Tsukishima-kun shouldn't have done that, he shouldn't have say Asahi-san that you like him. I'm sure that Asahi-san was very well intended when he talked to you. But I still can't believe that Tsukishima-kun went that far"

"This is all my fault. I shouldn't have started that stupid war"

At first, she thought it was nonsense. Why would she have to clear up the misunderstanding with Tsukishima's mum and older brother? It wasn't important for her, but it was for Tsukishima. If she had tried to be nicer, she could have avoided everything. But, at the end, the situation had been out of control. And the worst part of it was that Daichi had ended up taking part in the argument, worsening a relationship that Noa felt it was starting to turn into pieces with both of them doing nothing to stop it.

"Oi" Noa raised her gaze to look at Kageyama. He was looking anywhere but her, a bit uncomfortable, probably because of what he was going to say next. "If you want, I could toss the ball for you, like we usually did in the school grass. It's been a long time", he muttered, his cheeks reddening, what Noa found adorable.

Hinata glanced at him. "Hey! That's not fair! You should toss the ball for me!"

"I won't!" The setter barked.

Hinata moaned. "You are so selfish, Kageyama! Besides, what does that have to do with what happened yesterday?"

However, Noa knew what Kageyama meant. Both of them had a strange relationship. It didn't matter how vague the sentences and monosyllables they shared were, they could understand each other perfectly. Actually, what Kageyama was trying to do was avoid the topic because that was what Noa truly wanted. And, maybe, he could have express himself differently, but that was enough for Noa to understand.

"You know what, Kageyama?" He glanced at her curiously. "You might be an airhead, but you are definitely my favorite airhead ever"

"Haaaaah!?" Kageyama frowned, what made Noa giggle.

Suddenly, it seemed to be a commotion in the hallway. The four of them turned around and stared at the door to know what was happening when Jiro burst in the classroom.

"Furi-chan!"

Several heads peeked into and the rest of the students who were inside the classroom watched the manager curiously. Noa rolled her eyes. Why did always have to be him?

"You have to come with me" Jiro approached her and took her arm. Noa was forced to stand up, being almost dragged out of the classroom.

"S-Stop!" Noa was running behind him as he was still pulling her arm.

"We can't! This is serious!"

"What is happening!?"

Jiro didn't answer. Noa pressed her lips in a thin line, hoping all her doubts would be solved quickly.

Jiro stopped in front of the teachers' office. Although the door was closed, the voices of two women could be heard as they seemed to be arguing. Glued to the door, the members of the girls' volleyball team were trying to overhear the conversation.

"What is go-" Noa tried to ask, but, as soon as she opened her mouth, her teammates turned around to look daggers at her, so she remained silent.

Noa approached them. She quickly realized why Jiro had told her that the situation was serious. Noa immediately recognized the two voices. They were Fujibashi-sensei and the coach's.

"Those girls have made a huge effort to win. They have improved a lot!"

"The only thing that worries me right now is their grades. It's a matter of time that they start to get worse", Fujibashi-sensei was more serious than usually, if that was even possible. "You shouldn't be here. The team was almost over and my functions as a faculty advisor were going to end as well. The high school didn't even know that you were here, being the coach! I didn't know anything! Could you imagine how serious this is?"

"So that's your only concern, that your functions as a faculty advisor were going to end?" Mori Hatsue hissed. "You are such a selfish woman. You should think of the girls! They love playing volleyball!"

"I wasn't informed!" Fujibashi-sensei slammed her fists on the table. The girls, at the other side of the door, jumped a little bit. "We don't know anything about you. They travelled to Tokyo without the school permission! Do you know how many explanations I had to give!?"

"Mori Hatsue, that's my name. Now, you know. And I'm doing this because I only want to help them. That's all"

"There's absolutely no doubt about that". Every one of them could hear the poisonous tone with which Fujibashi-sensei replied. "Now that I see that you are so involved with the team, tell me, what are you going to do if, thanks to a miracle, the girls qualify for the Nationals? How are you going to pay it?" She added mockingly.

"We'll find a solution"

"That's not enough. I hope you are aware that the high school won't provide more money to the club", Fujibashi-sensei made a brief pause. "Those girls are nothing but trouble, all of them under the bad influence of Furihata-san. But I'll tell you something, I won't let anything slip"

"You are their teacher. Adolescence is already complicated enough. We've both been through that period, we think everyone is against us. Your duty is to guide and advise them, not to make her high school life miserable. But, of course, people like you, who don't encourage the students, make me question teaching"

"Who do you think you-"

"Don't worry", Hatsue didn't let her continue. "We won't bother you anymore. I'll talk personally to the girls about it. But I'm warning you, you might be their counselor, but I don't want to see you around the gym. Don't you dare discourage them"

"Are you threatening me!?"

"Not at all. It's only a warning. These girls have gain a confidence that you took from them in the first place and I'm not willing to let that happen again. They'll qualify for Nationals"

The door opened. Mori Hatsue caught them glued to the door, everyone placed on top of each other to hear well. All of them jumped a little bit and stepped away from the door. They pretended that their presence was pure coincidence, although it was already late. Despite that, Mori Hatsue didn't say anything about the fact that they were trying to overhear the conversation and left the teachers' office with a stern look on her face.

"I want you to be in the gym after classes. Be punctual"

The woman got away from them, disappearing in the hallway. They watched her go and, when Hatsue turned left, searching for the exit, everyone exchanged looks.

Jiro whistled. "What a woman"

"I think… I think we should return to class", Yui finally suggested.

No one dared to say otherwise and went back to their classrooms without adding anything else.

They had so much to think about. If they had had Fujibashi-seinsei's trust in the first place, they wouldn't have come to that situation. The Math teacher was now furious and Noa hoped she wouldn't pay all that frustration on them during classes.

That argument between Fujibashi Sadako and Mori Hatsue had arrived in the worst possible moment. The Preliminaries were starting the next day –specifically, the girls' matches, which were a day before the boys'. They had still a lot of information to process involving game strategies and the tension between the two women could disturb the thoughts of the team and move them away from their original objective, going to Nationals.

"According to what I've heard, Fujibashi-sensei received a paper with the pairings for the Preliminaries and, although her name appeared as the coach, which is normal in this case because the coach should be enrolled in the high school, Mori-san's name appeared as assistant coach", Jiro explained once they had finished practice. Hatsue didn't give any explanations about what happened and she only made them complete the brief practice for the hour and a half they had until the basketball team arrived to the gym.

"When she has seen it, Fujibashi-sensei has gone crazy and she has moved heaven and earth to contact Mori-san", the manager added. "The coach has come and, well, we all know how the story goes"

"Do you think Mori-san will be in trouble for this?" Chizuko asked, worried.

"I highly doubt it", Ayaka replied, putting her hands on her hips. "Mori-san's reaction has been enough to shut up that old hag"

"It was about time someone put her in her place", Ayako agreed with her sister.

"Even so, we shouldn't give Fujibashi-sensei a reason to be bothered", Yoshino gave her opinion. "From now on, we'll inform her about every activity we do. It's the right thing to do after all. That way, we'll avoid any other confrontation. If the principal or vice principal hear about this, we could be in trouble"

"Yes", Noriko agreed. "We can't risk the continuity of the club"

After having that short conversation, they went home. They should rest properly for their first match which took place tomorrow. If they wanted to play a second match, they should win the first one first. However, Mayu and Noa decided to stay a little longer. They borrowed one of the volley balls and they practiced in the campus' grass. Noa served, trying to take advantage of her powerful jump serve –although it didn't always go well–, while Mayu received.

They spent almost an hour practicing, without exchanging more words than necessary to encourage themselves or share some advice. Afterwards, Mayu said that they should get back home. They needed to rest and keep a good level of concentration.

Noa offered to put away the ball, so she said goodbye to Mayu and headed towards the gym. There, the basketball team was having practice. Only the coach noticed her presence. Noa smiled apologetically, showing him the volley ball, and the man smiled back and nodded, giving her his permission to put it away in the gym locker. After putting the ball in one of the metal carts, Noa left the gym after bowing to the coach and the manager of the team as an apology for her interruption.

Noa walked towards the exit. There were a few students in the campus. She sped up, wishing to arrive home as soon as possible in order to rest, but she stopped when she saw in the distance a certain peach blond-haired boy who seemed to be in a rush, walking through the campus.

"Nagisa!" She called him, but he didn't stop. "Nagisa!" She insisted, starting to run towards him. Once more, the second-year didn't stop. "Watanabe-san!" She called him this time by his surname, hoping that way he realized that she was actually addressing to him. Maybe he could find a solution to the problem concerning Fujibashi-sensei as he was part of the Student Council.

Nagisa glanced over his shoulder. He stopped when he saw Noa running towards him. When she caught up with him, he didn't even smile as a greeting. He only stared at with a blank expression on his face.

"I'm in a hurry, Furihata-san"

"I need to talk to you", she said trying to catch her breath.

"Can't wait?"

"No. Because I need to ask you a question". Nagisa remained straight-faced. "It's important. Something has happened". He raised an eyebrow, one of the few gestures which proved that he wasn't actually a robot. "I don't know if you've heard what happened in the hallway involving Fujibashi-sensei…"

"It's possible", he followed simply. "Someone in the Student Council has emailed everyone about that, but I'm not very interested in that kind of issues. I have a meeting right now, Furihata-san. We have to approve some activities for next month, but we don't have any power in conflicts between teachers. My duty as the vice president of the Student Council is to inform you"

"I-It wasn't between two teachers", Noa mumbled, astonished by his gift for using words. "It was between our coach and Fujibashi-sensei"

"And what do you think I can do about it, Furihata-san?

"Fujibashi-sensei was really mad because she didn't know we have a coach now"

"And what were you all expecting? She's your faculty advisor. You should have told her"

"Are you going to take sides with her? For real!?" Noa crossed her arms.

"You didn't provide me with more information"

"Fujibashi-sensei has never supported us. She doesn't care about us! That's why we didn't tell her. Apparently, Hastsue-san wanted to talk to her and they ended up having an argument", Noa bit her bottom lip. "Couldn't we do something? Maybe the school could change our counselor or something"

"Changing your faculty advisor will imply that Fujibashi-sensei isn't qualified for the job. It could be a scandal for Karasuno"

"So, are you suggesting that we have to deal with someone that doesn't have any faith in us?" She wasn't willing to accept that.

"I'm sorry, Furihata-san, but we can't do anything about it. I can understand how you feel. You are all feeling helpless, but there's nothing to do. The principal and vice principal wouldn't be interested in this story"

"And you can't do anything either?" Noa was imploring, so Nagisa swallowed hard. As much as he wanted to help her, he couldn't, so he finally shook his head no.

"Are you alright?" He asked when he saw how sad she seemed.

"I'm fine. It's just… I have many things on mind", she confessed.

"Do you want something to drink? Maybe you'll feel better. You're pale"

"No, no", Noa smiled, tired. "I'll go home. Tomorrow the Preliminaries start"

"Oh yes, you are right. Jiro-kun has been talking about it all week", Nagisa smiled back. "Let me at least walk you to the entrance door"

"Didn't you have a meeting? You are going to be late"

"It's fine"

Noa nodded and they started to walk together. Noa was trying to stare at her feet. She was trying to avoid glancing at Nagisa, who was walking staring forward and with his hands on the pockets of his trousers. His figure, which was illuminated by the last rays of sunlight, made him look like an angel. That hypnotic effect made his beauty even more breath-taking and Noa wondered how it was possible that there could exist someone with that level of perfection in his features. Next to him, Noa felt small, nobody.

Nagisa looked sideways at her and Noa blushed for being caught. When he stared at her with those hazel eyes, Noa felt that all her thoughts were exposed. She looked away, avoiding visual contact with that mysterious second-year who she barely knew. That's when she noticed something. A girl, who had the longest legs she had ever seen, was jumping, trying to reach the branches of one of the trees in the campus

"Hey!" Noa yelled. The girl stopped and turned around to look at her. She seemed uneased and her nervousness increased when she realized that Noa was approaching her. "Do you need some help?"

Noa looked at her from upside down. Her eyes widened. She was barefoot and, because of that, her feet were covered in mud.

"I-I'm fine", she stuttered.

When Noa caught up with her, she realized how extremely tall she was. Next to that girl, who had her copper-colored hair tied up in a braid, Noa felt like a shrimp.

Noa frowned. She didn't want her help, but Noa was certain that what that girl was being through wasn't right. Besides, she noticed the presence of three more girls not far away from them who seemed to be enjoying the whole situation.

"Hey! You!" Noa pointed at them while approaching them. "You did this, right!?"

"Who the hell are you?" One of the girls asked while crossing her arms. She had a wry smile plastered on her face.

"Do you find it funny?" Noa ignored her question.

"Yes. A lot", another girl replied defiantly. "I see you are too involved. Do you want to experience the same thing as that stick insect? Your shoes would be in a branch so high that you wouldn't reach them"

"You are disgusting", Noa grimaced them. How did they dare to threaten her? How did they dare to mock someone else?

"This is unacceptable! We are your senpais, shrimp", one of them replied, offended by Noa's words. "We'll report this"

Noa clenched her fists. It was as if those three were expecting her to leap on them only to accuse her of everything. However, before Noa could make a mistake, someone took her hand gently. Noa turned around to realize that, indeed, someone had interlaced fingers with hers. And, when she looked up, she found Nagisa next to her.

"Furihata-san, I'll take care of it. I'll speak to them. You should go and see how that student is"

Nagisa's skin was soft. His fingers were long, they seemed delicate, but despite that, his grasp was firm. Noa felt her cheeks burning and, as soon as Nagisa saw her expression, he released her hand, looking away. She knew, thanks to his expression, that he had felt as well the same tickling feeling when their hands touched.

"Please", he murmured, trying to hide part of his face using his right hand in order to hide his red cheeks.

"Y-Yes!" Noa jumped a little bit, already feeling her hand cold although the contact lasted only a few seconds. She moved away, jerking.

"Watanabe-san, thanks for coming to help us. She has accused us of something very serious". One of them pouted, pretending to be the victim in front of him. Fortunately, he had witnessed everything, so he remained expressionless.

"I don't think Furihata-san would accuse someone without a legitimate reason"

"She accused _me_!" The girl put her right hand on her chest. "You have to believe me, Watanabe-san", she pouted innocently.

"And I believe you", he nodded. The girls grinned proudly, but their expressions faded away as soon as Nagisa continued speaking. "But I'm glad she did. Otherwise, I would have been the one accusing you all". His voice was cold and harsh.

The girl clenched her fists, feeling betrayed by him. "I'll tell the teachers what you two have done!"

"Go ahead, then", he replied calmly. "But, if you do that, you'll have to answer for bullying that poor girl. And not to the teachers I'll talk, but to the principal directly. We'll see which one of us, between your crying act and my honest words, will win"

Nagisa turned around without let them reply and he walked towards Noa. She was on the other girls' shoulders, who was clearly embarrassed by having to carry the first-year on her shoulders, catching the attention of some students who were already on the campus.

"Why haven't you searched for a ladder? Nagisa sweat dropped.

"Oh yeah. You are right", Noa rubbed the back of her head, embarrassed, as she got off her. "Here you have", she handed her her shoes.

"Th-Thank you", the girl lowered her head.

"I trust that they won't bother you again", Nagisa followed.

"And, if they do, tell me. I'll teach them a lesson"

"Furihata-san, that's not the protocol"

"It's obvious that protocol doesn't work at all! This is so unfair!" She put her hands on her hips. "For how long have you been experiencing that?"

"Since classes started", the girl muttered, ashamed.

"What!?"

"But it's fine!" The girl waved her hands in front of Noa to persuade her from whatever she was thinking. "There's nothing I can do. They are my senpais of the choir"

"That's horrible!" Noa frowned. "If they're your senpais, they should treat you well!"

"Seriously, it's fine. I'm used to it. Since school, people has been mocking me because of my height. What they do it's nothing compared to what I've had to bear other times", she faked a smile.

"No. It isn't fine", Nagisa replied. "If you come with me, we'll report this"

"No, No! I'm fine! Really!" She seemed to panick. "I don't want to give them any more excuses to tease me and mock me. I have to see them a lot"

"Then quit", Noa suggested.

"But I like being in the choir"

"Do you really enjoy it when your senpais do that?"

The girl went silent and looked down. It was clear that she wasn't enjoying it. She didn't enjoy the choir at all.

"You know, I think your height is extraordinary", Noa added. The girl looked at her, eyes widening by the surprise. "You are awesome! And I mean it!" Noa smiled. "I wish I could be taller to increase the height average of the team. We need it"

She blinked, confused. "W-What?"

"Oh! Sorry. I didn't introduce myself", Noa giggled. "Furihata Noa, first-year, Class 5. Karasuno's female volleyball team wing spiker"

She fiddled with her fingers. "Kurumizawa Tomone, first-year as well. Class 2"

"You are a first-year?" Noa's jaw dropped. "That's so cool"

"It isn't a big deal", the girl rubbed the back of his neck, and embarrassed by the way Noa was staring at her, full of admiration. "You've been very kind, but… I think… I think I should go now"

"Do you need something?" Nagisa asked. "If you want, we can walk-"

"N-No! Seriously, I'm alright", Tomone flushed. "I don't want to bother you anymore"

"You're not bothering us!" Noa chirped happily.

"It's fine, Furihata-san", Nagisa glanced significantly at Noa, so she nodded, understanding that she should stop. Tomone already knew they were on her side. They couldn't force her if she didn't want any help or talk about it. "Whatever you need, you know you can count on us. I'm Watanabe Nagisa, second-ye-"

"I know who you are, Watanabe-senpai", Tomone blushed. "Everyone in Karasuno does", she muttered, looking away. "W-Well… I should probably go now"

Tomone walked past them, lowering her head. Noa noticed that she hadn't put her shoes on yet, probably because she didn't want her shoes to get dirty. Noa watched her disappear when Tomone went into the school building and she felt pity for her. Kurimizawa Tomone didn't seem to be a bad girl, but Noa felt that she lived scared of everybody. How much bullying have she experienced throughout her short life?

"Do you think I should go after her?" Noa wondered. "Maybe she has gone to the restrooms to cry and to clean her feet"

"You have to rest, Furihata-san. It's late and you are playing tomorrow", Noa raised her gaze to look at Nagisa, who was still looking forward, his eyes set on the building. "I'll take care of it. I'll speak to her"

Nagisa glanced at Noa. She was staring at him, her eyes sparkling.

She smiled. "Thank you"

Nagisa nodded and, then, Noa walked away. She didn't turned around or look over her shoulder, not even once. Nagisa was surprised to find out that he was hoping she would do it. Yet, he stood there until he wasn't able to see her and he wondered what kind of person Furihata Noa was.

 **...**

Noa laid on her bed. She closed her eyes during a few seconds, but she opened them again, staring at the white ceiling of her bedroom. She should be sleeping as soon as possible if she wanted to be rested for the next day, but, on the other hand, she couldn't sleep due to how nervous and anxious she was feeling. Her body was asking her, almost pleading, to wear that uniform she was so fond of for the first time in an official match.

She laid on her side. They had improved a lot during the last weeks, but Noa was wondering if that was enough to reach Nationals. She wanted to go to Tokyo with everyone, but she was aware that it was a dream difficult to get. Although she was sure that they would fight until the very end. Everyone in the team was committed and Noa was certain that the third-years, especially, were already happy just by trying once again, leaving their failures behind.

Noa sat up. Until then, she hadn't noticed the orange ribbon which was on her nightstand. She stretched her arm and took it, feeling the smooth fabric.

"I saw it in a shop and it reminded me of you"

Noa jumped a little bit. Daichi was standing under the doorframe. He put the towel he was using to dry his hair after having a shower around his shoulders and stared at her, a serious expression on his face.

"You should turn the light off if you're going to bed now", he made a pause. "You start the Preliminaries tomorrow, don't you?" He added.

Noa nodded. She was hoping Daichi would have left, but, after several seconds in silence, he didn't move.

"Why?" She finally whispered, lowering her gaze towards her hands, which were still holding delicately the orange ribbon.

"I told you. It reminded me of you", Daichi looked away, a bit embarrassed. "I thought it could give you luck for the Preliminaries because it's orange, Karasuno's color as well"

"The girls' volleyball team uniform is dark blue and white, not black and orange like yours", Noa said with a mournful expression on her face.

"A-Ah, yeah. It's true", Daichi giggled nervously.

"Thank you, but I don't think I deserve it anyway"

Daichi pressed his lips in a thin line. Noa hadn't look at him not even once since he had entered her bedroom. He scratched his head and sighed with resignation, trying to get from Noa something else rather than a vague response.

"My mum has told me that this morning a teammate has come to pick you up because you didn't want to go to class", Daichi persevered, but, once again, Noa didn't say a word. "Noa, look at me". Nothing. " _Look at me_ "

His voice sounded more assertive than he actually was pretending, but that seemed to work because Noa looked up.

"There's another reason for buying you that ribbon for you hair", he made a pause. "I think we should put an end to this situation. After what happened yesterday, I realized that, if I didn't do anything about it, we'll drift apart forever. And I don't want that to happen"

Noa started to pout. Silent tears rolled down her cheeks until she burst into tears. She hid her face with her hands so Daichi couldn't see her cry, although it was already too late. Daichi smiled fondly and approached her bed. He sat down and he took her in his arms, hugging her and letting her cry on his shoulder.

"I'm so sorry", he heard her say while hiccupping. He only tapped her back gently.

"I'm sorry as well", he stroked her hair with his right hand. "I'm an only child, so I don't know how to behave when, suddenly, you have a little sister you barely know. I shouldn't have force you to tell me. I have to give you your own space"

Noa looked at him. Her eyes and nose were red. She sniffed and bit her bottom lip before talking.

"I'm very immature. And I don't want to", she whined.

Daichi chuckled and tapped the top of her head gently. "Don't worry. You'll mature eventually"

Noa nodded while she wiped the last tears in her face with the palm of her hands.

"I didn't buy you anything", Noa confessed, ashamed. He had bought her that orange ribbon for her hair and she hadn't even thought about him. She was selfish.

"Don't worry", Daichi smiled gently. "Knowing that you'll be wearing it tomorrow is more than enough"

She hugged him. They spent several minutes in the same position until Noa finally fall asleep. Then, Daichi stood up carefully not to wake her up and he covered her up with the blankets.

When Daichi went downstairs to have dinner, he sat down in front of Noa's dad, who seemed to be busy working on something in his laptop. The third-year sighed, feeling exhausted, and smiled to his mum when she put in front of him some food.

"Turn that thing off immedeatly, honey. We are going to have dinner", Miyoko ordered her husband who hummed and did as she pleased. "Let me guess", she sat down next to her son as she glanced at him, a grin on her face. "Noa-san and you have finally made up"

Daichi's eyes widened. She wasn't asking, she made an affirmation.

"How do you know?" He hadn't tell anything about it to his mum. In fact, they had been pretending to have a good relationship in front of their parents.

"I have my methods", she said nonchalantly as she ate some noodles. Daichi looked at her helplessly and, then, grinned. His mum was evil.

Furihata Hayate frowned as he watched them curiously. "Did I miss something?"

Miyoko giggled. "Honey, I love how clueless you are"

He sweat dropped. "Is nobody going to tell me?"

Daichi giggled nervously while his mum winked at him. He didn't even need to ask. She had been enjoying the situation the whole time.

* * *

 **Finally, Daichi and Noa have made up. I know many of you wanted this to happen and it was about time. They are still knowing each other, so it's normal they have this kind of arguing.**

 **Next, other character profile :)**

* * *

 **CHARACTER PROFILE**  
OKA CHIZUKO

 **Complete Name:** Oka Chizuko

 **Date of birth:** May 15th

 **Age:** 17

 **Height:** 166.10 cm

 **Weight:** 60 kg

 **Appearance:** Chizuko has really short brown hair. She doesn't like having long hair because she finds it uncomfortable. She has big brown eyes and beautiful long eyelashes which are, by far, her favorite part of her body.  
She is thin and doesn't have many curves, but she knows how to make the most out of her.

 **Personality:** She is extremely shy, especially when she doesn't know the person. However, she isn't a very talkative person. She prefers to remain quiet and watch her surroundings. In fact, she is very observant and analyzes several things, so she will catch on to the slightest changes, what makes her know people better than they actually think.  
She blushes very easily for not much and she tends to get uncomfortable when she has many people around. Due to her discreet personality, she doesn't like to be the main focus, so she normally avoids people like Jiro or Noa because they tend to be loud. However, she is always fond of her friends and she considers them her friends. Given that, she is kind and loyal. However, only a few people know how brave she can be sometimes. She doesn't like to have regrets, so she is capable of standing by herself despite her shyness.

 **Occupation:** High school student (2nd Year, Class 5)

 **Team:** Karasuno High

 **Number:** 5

 **Position:** Middle blocker

 **Favorite food:** Nabe

 **Goals:** Being able to make her own choices in life

 **Current Concern:** Is she really prepared to be the next captain?

 **Statistics** (out of 5)  
Power: 3  
Jump: 3  
Stamina: 3  
Strategy: 4  
Technique: 3  
Speed: 3

* * *

 **Next chapter: Spring High Preliminaries**

 **~ See you next time!**


	23. Spring High Preliminaries

**A/N: Hello, everyone! I'm finally back. I don't how I've been able to find some time to write this chapter -these last weeks I've been very busy-, but here it is! The Spring High Preliminaries are finally starting, so let me know if there's something which is not clear. It's difficult to describe a match when you're not an expert and when English is not your first lenguage. Anyway, I'm especially proud of this one and I hope you like it.**

 **Luna: Awwww your reviews always make my day. I'm so glad you like this story so much. I loved writing all that Noa and Daichi part. They are adorable! They are still trying to understand each other, but I think they're progressing. And, well, all that Noa/Nagisa stuff... I have to admit that I was a little bit scared of how the readers might react, but I didn't get any complaints so I guess it's fine. There are many surprises awaiting for you in the next chapters, but I won't spoil anything ;)**

 **Enjoy your reading!**

 **I do not own Haikyuu or its characters**

* * *

 **CHAPTER TWENTY TWO**  
Spring High Preliminaries

Noa looked around with awe. The sport facilities where the Spring High Preliminaries matches were going to take place were full of girls like them, girls who were dreaming of going to Tokyo. Even though the gym was much smaller than the gym where the boys were starting their matches the next day, their good mood didn't falter. If everything was according to plan, they should play five matches in three days.

Noa sighed, trying to ignore how nervous she actually felt. It didn't matter how much she was used to competing, the tingling in her gut never disappeared. She had many doubts in fact. They had practiced really hard, but so had their rivals done, so she was wondering if all their efforts were going to be enough. On the other hand, she felt anxious. She wanted to win. She wanted to prove to Fujibashi-sensei that she was wrong from the beginning. But Noa was also well aware that her anxiety could be dangerous if she wasn't able to control it.

She took off the jacket of her tracksuit and handed it to Jiro, who put it away. Before stepping into the court, where her teammates were already starting the warm-up, she tied her hair back in a ponytail using the orange ribbon Daichi had given to her the night before.

"What a beautiful ribbon", Chizuko complimented Noa as soon as she joined the group.

"Thanks", Noa smiled. "It's Daichi's present to wish me luck for the Preliminaries"

"So that means you have finally made up", Mayu tapped Noa's back gently.

"W-What?" Yui startled. "Daichi's present? Making up?" Her eyes widened.

"Yes", Noa scratched her head, a bit embarrassed. "Recently, we haven't been particularly close. But we are good now"

"And why is it orange?" Noriko asked, raising an eyebrow. "Is it kind of a mutual understanding between half-siblings or something like that?"

"It's because orange is the color of Karasuno"

"But our uniform is dark blue and white…"

"That's what I told him", Noa giggled.

"Awww… Don't you think Daichi is adorable, Yui-san?" Yoshino teased the captain, making her blush.

"I think that's really great", Mayu smiled to Noa. "Now you have motivation enough to win"

Truth to be told, Noa was feeling more motivated and more confident than ever. Her talk with Daichi had been enough to calm her down. She knew she had his support and trust and that was more than enough for her.

During the warm-up, they practiced the serves and receives, as they were especially weak in defense. After a few minutes of exercises, the coach called them from the sideline. They gathered around her, so she could give them the last instructions before the first match started.

"In the last years, female volleyball has decreased its practice in some prefectures and Miyagi is one of them. Apparently, the overwhelming power of the most important prefectures is being too much for the small teams to handle it. In fact, when the teams of the small prefectures reach tournaments like the Inter High or the Spring High, they didn't move on second round", Hatsue explained. "On one hand, this is positive for you because, given how much you've trained, especially how much you have improved you physical condition, you have many chances to move on to the next match. However, this is going to be different in the Spring High. But, for now, we must focus in what's next and that's our first match in the Preliminaries"

The first rival was the girls' volleyball team of Tokonami. When the match started, Karasuno lost the first set. The girls, especially the third-years, weren't focus enough, making mistake they normally didn't make.

After a motivational speech Jiro gave them, he encouraged them to keep forward, to show everyone that they weren't the shame team as before. And after that, the four second-years carried the team on their backs. Ayaka was amazing in defense and that's how they managed to finally get back in and win the first match of the day.

To win the first match was really positive for them, especially to face the second match they had to play, this time against Wakutani South. It was a rather new team, just like Karasuno girls' volleyball team, with a fallen ace, Tamarai Kanoka, as soon as she had chosen the weakest team in all fronts in the prefecture.

They managed to win easily the match. The scoreboard ended up with 20-25 in the first set and 16-25 in the second one. Noa and Noriko were especially skillful in their spikes, amazing some of the few spectators who went to watch the matches. Yet, the victory was also possible thanks to Ayako's tosses. The setter was very concentrated all the time and she managed to make the right decisions, deciding as quickly as possible who the right person was to spike the ball in order to keep scoring. Without a doubt, the twins were on fire that day. Both were truly motivated.

When they finished the match against Wakutani South, they used their free time until the next one to massage their legs. After playing two matches, they were starting to feel their muscles a bit sore and they had to play one more match against Shinkyou Academy. If they won, it seemed likely they would have to play against Kinga and they knew them so well after playing a practice match a few days ago. Kinga was already finishing its match. They had won the first set and they were already winning the second one as well. After that, it would be their turn.

"At this point, I'm very proud of you", Hatsue smiled to them, putting her hands on her hips. "No one expected you would come this far"

"You should have heard some teams gossiping about you", Jiro chortled as he put away the bottles of water.

"I'm sure it wasn't anything good", Noriko clicked her tongue.

"Well, then screw them"

"Ayako, that language!" Chizuko reprimanded the setter.

"What? It's the truth! It seems that they were looking forward to our failure. They thought we were going to lose the first match to mock us once again. But now they can't, so screw them. We are not going to lose!" The second-year stood up and walked towards the gym after hearing the crowd's cheers from afar. It seemed there was already a winner.

"It's likely Shinkyou will start using the serve-block technique", Jiro explained as he checked his notebook. The boy had spent many hours watching volleyball matches of their rivals to prepare reports as complete as possible. "They tend to start the match with powerful serves. When the other team manages to receive it, they are already waiting in the net to block the spikes. I guess they are expecting this to work when they are taller than us. That's why, this time, Ayako-san's view of the match is going to be very important, the same as Noriko-san's and Furi-chan's spikes. Our main goal is to surprise them, be unexpected"

"Alright", Yui nodded eagerly. "You've heard him. Kinga is already in the next round, waiting for us. Let's win this match!"

"OSSSS!" Everyone yelled in unison.

Both teams lined up on the court and bowed. After that, the players went to their positions. The third and last match of the day was about to start.

STARTING ORDER

SHINKYOU ACADEMY

Nanase (MB-3rd year) | Ozu (WS-3rd year) | Kuronoma (WS-3rd year)

Umino (S-2nd year) | Takemoto (MB-3rd year)/Murakami (L-2nd year) | Mayama (MB-3rd year)

NET

KARASUNO HIGH

Harada (MB-2nd year) | Nagano (WS-3rd year) | Harada (S-2nd year)

Furihata (WS 1st year) | Oka (MB-2nd year)/Shiraiwa (L-2nd year) | Michimiya (WS-3rd year)

Shinkyou served first. Karasuno team members were used to Noa's jump serves, but when Nanase hit the ball, all of them held their breaths. Just like Jiro said, Shinkyou went for it using a powerful serve, trying to surprise them. Yui received.

"Ugh", the captain gritted her teeth. She didn't manage to keep her balance and she fell on her butt.

Ayako moved quickly. She set up the ball for Noriko, who spiked. Shinkyou used three blockers to cover the attack and, although the ball was touched by one of their rivals' tip of her fingers, it was a point for Karasuno.

"It's fine!" Mayama, the captain of Shinkyou yelled. "We'll manage to get a point in the next one!"

 **0-1**

Thanks to that point, the girls felt that all the pieces were starting to work. Everything fitted together. And that was proved in the early slip-ups of the match.

Harada served aiming to Nanase, the tallest player of Shinkyou. The middle blocker received the ball easily, being encouraged by the cheers of her fellow students who had come to see the match. Umino, the setter, got ready. From the corner of her eye, she saw Ozu move, tossing the ball for her perfectly. Ayaka and Noriko jumped to block it, but the spike was powerful enough to go past their arms.

 **1-3**

"Let's get more points!" Yui yelled clapping her hands to encourage her teammates, who nodded eagerly.

"They're so focused today", Jiro said from the bench.

Hatsue hummed. "I agree. It's surprising how much they've improved"

"The exercises to improve their physical condition have taken effect"

"It's not just that", the coach wondered. "Every time they play, they feel better. They are starting to move through the court without invading the space of her teammates. They know what they have to do", she smiled. "Without a doubt, this is the way forward"

Umino managed to receive and the ball flied towards Kuronoma. The wing spiker looked around and tossed the ball. Despite the ball being too high, Takemoto managed to spike it and she was lucky enough to score. The ball hit Mayu's fist, but it flew out.

 **2-7**

The crowd cheered. Just like Karasuno players, Shinkyou players weren't the tallest in the tournament and, despite that, Takemoto was able to jump as high as possible to reach that ball. The crowd was excited and that could only mean one thing: Shinkyou got back into the match. At that moment, they were more convinced than ever that they could close the gap. In fact, they managed to get two more points before Karasuno scored again.

After many plays, Karasuno was the first team to reach the 20 points thanks to the advantage they got at the beginning of the match, so they were likely to win the first set.

SHINKYOU ACADEMY

Umino (S-2nd year) | Nanase (MB-3rd year) | Ozu (WS-3rd year)

Takemoto (MB-3rd year) | Mayama (MB-3rd year) | Kuronoma (MB-3rd year)

NET

KARASUNO HIGH

Harada (MB-2nd year) | Nagano (WS-3rd year) | Harada (S-2nd year)

Furihata (WS 1st year) | Shiraiwa (L-2nd year) | Michimiya (WS-3rd year)

 **15-20**

Although they had made some mistakes in defense, Karasuno was still winning. The team had probably the worst defense of the tournament. They lacked sometimes firmness in defense and height as well, but in terms of offense, they were showing their true potential, taking their rivals by surprise. Everyone thought that they would face the same team, the weak team which lost in the first match of the Inter High Preliminaries. However, they had to compete against a new Karasuno girls' volleyball team that was improving faster than expected.

After many points, it was Noa's turn to serve. If they scored, they would win the first set. Noa took a deep breath trying to concentrate as much as possible. She did her jump serve and, although it was powerful, the libero of Shinkyou managed to received it. The ball flew out a Little bit, so the setter had to move quickly. The toss wasn't perfect and, when one of her teammates spiked, the ball hit the net.

 **20-25**

First set won by Karasuno.

The second set started with a different rhythm. Given that their strategy in the first set didn't work, Shinkyou decided to change it. Besides, Karasuno managed to get used to their powerful serves and their receives were easier.

"Ayako-san is a great setter", Jiro mentioned as he watched the second-year's moves. She didn't have to use her exceptional ability yet and that was a good start because she could only use it for a couple of minutes until get exhausted. She had been able to solve all problems and most of the times she had taken the right decision, helping her teammates to score more easily.

Mori Hatsue nodded, agreeing with the manager. Instinctively, her eyes were set on Yoshino, who was standing, watching her teammates. After years of competing at a high level, although in water polo, Hatsue knew perfectly the meaning of the rivalry between teammates which was positive for them and the team as it helped them improve their abilities.

Yoshino, however, and after watching the two first matches they had played that day, was starting to realize that Ayako was a better setter than her. The coach had managed to bring to light Ayako's true potential. And she wasn't only better than her, she knew as well how to make her teammates better. Both were very different. Ayako was much more emotional and that characteristic of her personality could also be seen when she was playing. Yoshino, however, was completely rational and that wasn't enough sometimes.

Yoshino's attention was back on the court when she heard the whistle blow, followed by her teammate's cheers.

"YEEEEEEEEEEES!"

Noriko had managed to block a spike.

 **17-19**

SHINKYOU ACADEMY

Murakami (L-2nd year) | Umino (S-2nd year) | Nanase (MB-3rd year)

Mayama (MB-3rd year) | Kuronoma (WS-3rd year) | Ozu (WS-3rd year)

NET

KARASUNO HIGH

Oka (MB-2nd year) | Furihata (WS-1st year) | Harada (MB-2nd year)

Michimiya (WS 3rd year) | Harada (S-2nd year) | Nagano (WS-3rd year)

"Come on!" Yoshino encouraged them from the sideline. "Let's get the 20 points first again!"

But their rivals scored. When Shinkyou served, they used their powerful and quick serves once again, trying to close the gap in the scoreboard.

Noriko received the ball, sending it towards Ayako. The setter tossed the ball for Noa, but her spike was blocked and landed on their side of the court.

 **19-19**

"Okay. Don't worry. It's fine!" Jiro yelled from the bench. "We'll get back that point!"

They nodded eagerly while they prepared to receive another serve. Shinkyou didn't want to surrender so easily, let alone if it was a draw. They had the chance to win the second set and play a third one.

Once Karasuno managed to score again, Ayaka served. The ball was easily controlled by Murakami, the libero of Shinkyou. Her teammates moved quickly and one of them spiked, but Ayaka, who was in the backline, could prevent the ball from touching the floor. Then, Ayako tossed it for Yui, who scored.

 **19-22**

But, although they tried to grow the difference in points, Shinkyou always got back the points.

Finally, Karasuno managed to get to 25 points. If they scored, they would win the match and Kinga was already waiting in the next round. Everyone glanced towards the stands. The members of the team of Kinga were watching the match and, when their eyes met, they crossed their arms over their chest and caught a glimpse of Hirata Emi's grin, their ace and the player who was the most difficult to stop in the team. The Karasuno girls nodded. Words weren't necessary. They promised they were going to face each other in the Preliminaries and that's what they were going to do.

When Karasuno served, they moved as the ball was easily controlled. They had to stop the attack of Shinkyou. One of their middle blockers spiked, but Noriko touched the ball a little bit and that was enough to give them a chance to attack. Ayako tossed quickly the ball for Noa, who was asking for it anxiously. When the Shinkyou blockers' arms grew like a wall in front of her, Noa searched for the perfect angle and made a perfect cross-court shot. Before any player of Shinkyou could reach the ball, it had already landed on the floor.

 **24-26**

Karasuno team members' cheers echoed in the gym. Yui couldn't help it and her eyes watered.

"Don't cry, Yui-san!" Noa tapped her back and smiled happily. "We haven't done anything yet"

The third-year nodded. She was well aware that they hadn't done anything yet, but she couldn't help but get emotional about it. She had never imagined that winning could make her feel so good and that sharing those victories with her teammates would be so satisfying.

"Congratulations!" The coach of Shinkyou approached Hatsue and greeted her. "You've reawaken a team and you've turned it into something promising and special. We'll cheer you on from now on"

"Thank you so much", Hatsue smiled and bowed.

She turned around and walked towards her team. The girls had sat on the bench or in the floor. Some of them were drinking water and others were stretching their sore muscles, as they weren't used to playing three matches in a row.

"I'm exhausted…" Yui mumbled as she let Yoshino massage her tights.

"I'm very proud of you", the coach confessed. Everyone looked up and set their eyes full of admiration on her. "The moment of truth is tomorrow. As I told you, the level of the prefecture has decreased considerably in female volleyball. However, the three of the other remaining teams are the strongest in Miyagi, especially Niiyama, although Shiratorizawa is likely to displace them. I know you are tired now, but we should get back to the school. There, we'll go over how Kinga plays. They turned out to be very strong in the practice match we played before the Preliminaries. They know us well, but so do we. I think we have corrected some mistakes since then. I think we have possibilities, we can win. So don't be disheartened by the previous results you had against them"

As a manager, Jiro had made a thorough and complete summary about every match Karasuno and Kinga had played till then. The number of victories of Kinga was overwhelming, but they could still win. Jiro and Hatsue believed in that.

"We'll review some concepts. But I don't want to see you practice!" The coach warned them before leaving the gym. "And that goes for you, little monkey. I know you", she added, pointing an accusing finger to Noa.

She rolled her eyes, ignoring the Harada twins' chuckles.

When they finished the talk, everyone put their things away. They put on their tracksuits after having sweated and they took their backpacks. Before steeping out of the court, they looked over their shoulder, watching the already empty gym. Not long ago, in the Inter High Preliminaries, they had to left in the first round. How was it possible to change in only a few months? No one knew the answer, although they wondered if that new self-confidence was the reason to their success. They smiled, especially the third-years. They were leaving the gym, but they would be back the next day and, if they were lucky enough, they would be playing two more matches before the final.

"I need to go to the restroom", Noa said casually.

"Can't you wait until we arrive to high school?" Yoshino asked.

"I haven't gone in all day. I was too nervous that I forgot that I have to pee"

"Alright. Go", the coach nodded. "We'll get going. We'll be in the bus stop"

"I'll go with her!" Mayu offered.

"Fine. Don't be late"

Both girls nodded and took a different path. Mayu and Noa walked through the hall of the sport complex until they found a sign which indicated where the restrooms where.

"I don't feel like go over the strategy", Noa confessed as she washed her hands after having used the toilette.

"Me neither. I just want to rest. Although I don't think I can sleep"

"Because of the nerves?"

"Yeah… But my legs are also so stiff that I don't think the cramps I'm feeling will let me sleep"

Mayu opened the door of the restrooms and let Noa leave first.

"You should have a cold shower then", Noa suggested.

"That's what I'll do. Anyway, I hope I'm feeling better tomorrow"

"Do you think somebody will come to see us play tomorrow?"

"I don't know", Mayu shrugged. "Generally, we aren't used to people cheering on us. Not even the boys' volleyball team in the last years. But, maybe, now that we're facing one of the top teams of Miyagi, we'll have some supporters"

"That would be awesome!" Noa chirped happily.

As they spoke, both girls turned around the corner. However, Mayu stopped on her tracks. Noa stopped a little bit later and looked over her shoulder to stare at her teammate.

"Mayu-san?"

Noa was concerned as soon as she saw the libero's expression on her face. At first, her expression had been soft, relaxed, but at that moment she was tense. She was pale and her eyes widened. Her gaze was lost in the distance, so Noa turned around to know what the matter was, to know why Mayu seemed to be so shocked.

A few meters away from them, a couple was kissing. She was wearing a white tracksuit with details in maroon, which Noa quickly identified as Shiratorizawa colors thanks to her only visit to the academy, when she was looking for the coach. The girl had long blond hair, tidied up in a ponytail. He was wearing a school uniform, probably his high school uniform, and his hair was shaved.

A little after, they stopped kissing and, when that happened, Mayu grabbed Noa's arm and pressed her fingers around it. Noa whined in pain. Mayu was hurting her. That sound caught the girl's attention, who glanced at them. Mayu dragged Noa away violently and they hid around the corner. But it was too late. Noa was able to catch a glimpse of the girls' smirk and mischievous eyes.

Mayu was heavy breathing. She was leaning on the wall and covered her face with her hands. Noa stared at her, worried, as she couldn't understand what was going on. Did she know those people?

"Mayu?" She spoke in a low voice.

"Crap", the libero muttered. Noa raised an eyebrow. It was the first time she was hearing Mayu curse.

"You are scaring me. Tell me what's going on, please. Who are they?"

Mayu didn't answer. She peeked around the corner and checked there was no one around. Once she was sure the couple wasn't there anymore, she got out of their hiding.

"Do you remember what I told you about Chizuko-san? That she has a boyfriend?"

Noa nodded. "You told me that they know each other since school and, when they finished middle school, they were going to be in different high schools, so Chizuko-san decided to confess. But what does that have to do with anything?"

"Don't you get it?" Mayu's voice was trembling. "You haven't known him yet, so you couldn't know, Noa-san. That was him!"

Noa went silent. Her brain couldn't process correctly that information.

"Are you sure it was him?"

"Yes"

"B-But… He was kissing other girl…" Noa mumbled, suddenly realizing what was actually happening. "Shit. Shit! SHIT" She yelled.

"I know!"

"And she has seen us!"

"W-What?"

"I mean, at least she has seen me. Before we hid. She has seen me!" Noa panicked. "And she has smirked when she has seen me!"

"W-What!?" Mayu blinked confused. "Are you sure about that, Noa-san?"

"I swear! You think she was hoping someone would catch them? Maybe she was expecting us or Chizuko-san to show up…"

"It's… It's hard to tell. Why would she do something like that?"

Noa sighed. She didn't want to think the worst, but, maybe, what that girl wanted was to cause instability amongst them. Now, Mayu and Noa were in a complicated position. Should they tell Chizuko? Whatever they did, it was going to hurt the middle blocker and, probably, Mayu and Noa would end up losing their friendship. Every time Chizuko would see them, she would remember that her boyfriend cheated on her. And, if she decided to forgive him and continue with the relationship, she would feel judged by her own teammates.

Yet, that thought was too twisted and cruel. A low blow. If her theory was correct, that girl from Shiratorizawa was playing dirty. Both teams, Karasuno and Shiratorizawa, needed to win their matches tomorrow, but, if they succeeded, they would face each other next. Noa and Mayu would have to see that girl again and they didn't want to.

"And what are we going to do now?" Noa wondered, expressing out loud the same doubt that was crossing Mayu's mind.

"I… I don't know"

 **...**

Nagisa finished going through the summary of the main points of the meeting of the Student Council once it had ended. Some of its members were still chatting in the classroom. He, instead, had offered to check everything and, then, filled the reports, so the president could go and study for her exams.

Once he had gone through every word, he locked the metal cabinet where they put away the files. Afterwards, he put his stuff away in his backpack, but, as soon as he walked towards the door, some schoolmates grinned at him.

"Good luck, Watanabe!" One of the third-years tapped his back.

"I hope she's the right one", one of the first-years smiled sheepishly, her cheeks burning just by talking directly to the vice-president of the Student Council.

Nagisa didn't reply. He only looked forward, pretending that he didn't care. However, he quickly imagined that, outside the classroom, other girl –one of the many who dared to confess to him– might be waiting for him.

Nagisa was well aware of the rest of his schoolmates talking behind his back, talking about how he always turned down those poor girls and how that made him an arrogant person. But he wasn't like that. He just simply felt that none of those girls approached him because they were actually in love with him. In fact, many of them hadn't even spoken to him first, he didn't even know them. Most of the time, when they approached to confess, it was the first time he saw them. That's why he knew they weren't in love with him. They were in love with another person, with the person they thought he was. Those girls were in love with an illusion, not the real Nagisa.

When he left the classroom, Nagisa was surprised to see someone he actually knew waiting for him, leaning on the wall. Kurumizawa Tomone fiddled with her fingers, her eyes fixed on her feet.

"Kurumizawa-san?" He asked, approaching her. The girl looked up and blushed. Then, she stared past him and, when Nagisa glanced over his shoulder, he noticed that some of his schoolmates were spying on them. "Do you prefer to talk in a more private place?"

She nodded, so Nagisa invited her to walk with him towards some place of their high school where no one could bother them and where she could feel more comfortable.

What had happened the previous day was still on his mind. He and Noa had witnessed how Kurumizawa was being bullied by her senpais. At the end, the first-year didn't want their help, but Noa didn't buy it and asked Nagisa to go after her, to check how she was. And that's what he had done. He had waited for Kurumizawa, outside the restrooms, for half an hour and, when she left them, the first-year seemed surprised to find him there.

He didn't have to walk her home, but he did it anyway. Both had walked in complete silence and, in front of the door of her house, Kurumizawa had thanked him and Nagisa had reminded her that he could count on him if something happened.

"You and you friend had been very gentle"

"Furihata-san is not my friend. She's only an acquaintance"

"Oh. Well. But she's a good girl"

And, although Nagisa didn't know Noa well, he thought that Kurumizawa Tomone wasn't wrong.

When he got home, Nagisa noticed that he had text message from Noa. He guessed she had got his number after asking Jiro.

* * *

From: Unknown  
To: Watanabe Nagisa

 _I couldn't stop thinking about what we saw today_  
 _Did you go after her?_

* * *

From: Watanabe Nagisa  
To: Furihata Noa

 _Yes_

* * *

From: Furihata Noa  
To: Watanabe Nagisa

 _Could you be more specific!?_  
 _Did you follow her? Was she okay? Did she cry?_

* * *

From: Watanabe Nagisa  
To: Furihata Noa

 _1\. I followed her to the restrooms and, then, I walked her home_ _  
2\. She seemed to feel better  
3\. No  
_

* * *

From: Furihata Noa  
To: Watanabe Nagisa

 _Awww! You're are such a gentleman_

* * *

From: Watanabe Nagisa  
To: Furihata Noa

 _I'm not. You asked me as a favor_

* * *

From: Furihata Noa  
To: Watanabe Nagisa

 _Don't be silly! You are awesome!_

* * *

From: Watanabe Nagisa  
To: Furihata Noa

 _Shouldn't you be sleeping?_  
 _I think I told that I would take care of everything if you went home and got some rest for tomorrow_

* * *

From: Furihata Noa  
To: Watanabe Nagisa

 _Okay… You're starting to talk like my dad_  
 _I'm going to sleep now_  
 _Good night, Mr. Vice-president of the Student Council :-)  
_

* * *

When he saw that smiling face, Nagisa imagined Noa texting him with a big smile plastered on her face. And, unconsciously, he smiled as well.

But, at that moment, he was again standing in front of Kurumizawa, like the previous night. Nagisa had walked towards the campus and headed towards the back side of one of the small sheds where some school equipment was kept. A part of him feared that his kind gesture of the previous night had confused Kurumizawa and she thought she was in love with him. He didn't deserve her love because the idea of going after her wasn't even his, it was Noa's. He had only accepted.

He waited patiently for the first-year to search for the right words. He kept his stoic expression, although, deep down, he wished she wasn't planning to confess. He didn't like to break the girls' hearts, let alone Kurumizawa Tomone.

"How are you feeling?" He decided to break the silence as she didn't seem to be brave enough to start a conversation. "Have you been bullied again?"

"Oh. I'm fine", Tomone blushed again. "I-I don't want to talk about that right now"

"So what do want to talk to me about then?"

"I want to ask you for a favor. I need your help"

Nagisa blinked slowly. He didn't understand well how he could be helpful to a first-year girl.

"I-It's not what you think!" Tomone waved her hands nervously. "It's just… Have you seen how things are going for the girls' volleyball team in the Preliminaries? They have started today"

"Yes. I know", he replied bluntly. Jiro filled his mobile phone with texts about every point Karasuno had scored during that day. Yet, Nagisa didn't realize that the abruptness of his answers, although they weren't bad intended, affected Tomone, who didn't know how to talk to him.

"I… I want to do something for Furihata-san. And for the team, of course. To encourage them", Kurumizawa flushed and showed him a huge bag she was carrying. Until then, Nagisa didn't notice.

"What is it?"

"Well, it's not a big thing, but I need you to help me finish it for tomorrow. I'm sure they'll win their first match tomorrow and, then, they'll have to play a second one", Kurumizawa smiled and that was the first time Nagisa had seen her shown a true smile, a smile without worries. "The crow is the animal of Karasuno, right? That's why, although I'm not doing much, I want to give them something special, something meaningful". Kurumizawa opened her bag and glanced at Nagisa intently. "I want to help them fly"

* * *

 **Well, next chapter they're playing Kinga again. But, what will Noa and Mayu do? They're in such a difficult position. I don't have a name for next chapter yet. I'm considering many options, so we'll see.**

* * *

 **CHARACTER PROFILE**  
SHIRAIWA MAYU

 **Complete Name:** Shiraiwa Mayu

 **Date of birth:** August 1st

 **Age:** 17

 **Height:** 157 cm

 **Weight:** 46 kg

 **Appearance:** Mayu is tiny and skinny. When she was little, she used to be sick most of the time. Now, she has got over that period, but she still has such a pale skin. And she hates that, because she still seems to be unhealthy.  
She has short brown hair with her bangs covering part of her forehead. She has big brown eyes and a soft expression on her face, what makes her look like the approachable and nice person she actually is.

 **Personality:** Mayu is ever since a caring girl who would do anything for her friends or people who somehow grow to her heart. She is intelligent through many things but still her grades are average. She is a normal student who tends to go unnoticed, but she prefers it that way as she doesn't like to stand out unnecessarily.  
As a volleyball player she has learnt how to be cooperative and hardworking. Maybe too much! Else she's very loyal person and you can 100% count with her.  
Open minded, kind, sensitive and honest. She would never admit it, but she's a coward for life. She's always scared of what other people might think about her. Mayu has always pretended to be a different person when she's in class. She has never opened up to someone until she met Noa. It's the first time she has found someone worth her whole trust and, with Noa, she can feel comfortable.

 **Occupation:** High school student (2nd Year, Class 3)

 **Team:** Karasuno High

 **Number:** 7

 **Position:** Libero

 **Favorite food:** Sashimi

 **Goals:** To be herself without worrying what the others might think

 **Current Concern:** Would it be a good idea to tell the rest of her teammates that she likes girls?

 **Statistics** (out of 5)  
Power: 2  
Jump: 1  
Stamina: 4  
Strategy: 2  
Technique: 4  
Speed: 4

* * *

 **~ See you next time!**


	24. Rise and fall

**A/N: Hello, everyone! I'm back! I've been enjoying my summer vacation in France, but I got back to work last week. I visited a friend who has moved out there because her boyfriend is French (ah l'amour...) and I could practice my French as well. It's been such a wonderful trip. I had fun! I hope all of you are enjoying this time of the year too! On August 9th I'll go to the beach with my family, but I'll be back on the 15th, so don't worry. I don't think updates will be affected by it.  
Anyway, this chapter might be a little bit boring I guess because there's so much volleyball in it. I've tried to introduce some drama, so let's see if you like it. I've said it many time times, but you can't possibly imagine how difficult to write a volleyball match is. I use a notebook to take some notes and holy crap... Everything ends up being a mess.  
And, finally, thanks to everyone who followed and favorited this story in the last weeks! :-)**

 **Luna: Oh dios mío. Si sabes español! But, well I guess you feel more confortable if I reply you in English given that you've been living in the USA for so long. I don't know if you've finally tried to read my BokutoxOC, but a few days ago I posted a new story, a KenmaxOC -The pairing was voted by my followers and he clearly won-.  
Changing now the topic, seriously, your reviews always make me laugh. First of all, there's going to be angst in all this Spring High Preliminaries part involving volleyball and, obviously, all that Noa and Mayu's secret about Chizuko's boyfriend. I don't know if it's going to happen in one or two chapters -that depends on how inspired I am for this match (you'll know what I mean when you read this chapter)-, but, as you can imagine, this plot is not going to end up well -I truly want you to read it! I think everyone is going to love it!-. On the other hand, I'm sorry to tell you that Nagisa and Tomone don't appear in this chapter, but I haven't forgotten about them! They'll appear soon! Very soon in fact!**

 **deadlywhisper21: I already thanked you, but, again, thank you so much for pointing out my mistake! I'm so glad when readers tell me when I'm wrong because that's how I can improve. You probably will kill me when you read this chapter, but I didn't change the 6-2. I know it's not common nowadays, that's why I wanted Kinga to play that way.  
You're not the only one who has asked me if Noa is going to fall in love with anyone. I don't want this to be a love story, it's more a story about friendship. I will, however, drop some hints -be attentive! You can already find some!-, but nothing serious. In fact, at first I had pretty clear who I wanted Noa to fall in love with, but now... Well, I'm having doubts, so I might change my mind if my readers want to see her paired up with someone in particular.**

 **Enjoy your reading!**

 **I do not own Haikyuu or it characters**

* * *

 **CHAPTER TWENTY THREE**  
Rise and fall

Noa looked around the corner. She watched from afar, checking nobody was around. Some groups of students were chatting cheerfully in the hallways of the gymnasium, waiting for the second day of the female volleyball preliminaries to start.

"What are you doing?"

Noa jumped a little bit, her heart almost missing a beat. She turned around quickly as soon as she heard a voice behind her, putting a hand on her chest, trying to calm her heart down. Mayu was staring at her with her brow furrowed and her hands on her hips.

"You scared me!"

"You haven't answer me!" The libero demanded.

"I was… I was only looking around"

"Please, try to act normal. They are going to think that there's something wrong with us"

"Well, that's because there's actually something that is wrong!" Noa huffed and Mayu clicked her tongue. "Okay, okay…" She waved her hands. "I know I have to act normal. But it's complicated!" She scratched her head. "I don't want to run into that girl from Shiratorizawa. I have a bad feeling about this"

"I don't like this either, but we agreed that the best solution is not to tell Chizuko-san anything for the time being, not until we finish the Preliminaries. We have a lot on our minds. What we need the least is another problem. We'll try to forget about what we saw yesterday at the moment"

"That's easy to say", Noa sighed. "But we both know that's not going to work"

"Noa-san", Mayu put her hands on Noa's shoulders and looked her in the eyes, "we need your points today. And we need my reflexes as well. For instance, we are going to focus on the match against Kinga"

After some seconds of silence, Noa nodded slowly. Mayu was right. They should focus on winning that match. If they won, they would face Shiratorizawa in the semifinals and that wasn't going to be an easy match either. They'll have plenty of time after that to think about what to do next.

Shiratorizawa was a strong team. They were playing before them and they were beating up their rival. The girl who was kissing Chizuko's boyfriend wore the number 5 and Noa quickly noticed that she was one of the best players in the team. Thankfully, no one in Shiratorizawa realized how curious the Karasuno team was looking at them while playing. And Mayu and Noa preferred it that way. They didn't know what could have happened if the number 5 had seen them in the stands.

Noa glanced at her mobile phone before putting it away in her sport bag and before the Shiratorizawa match ended. She had a text from Daichi. He wished her luck for that day. Noa smiled and replied, wishing him luck too. That day, the male volleyball teams were starting the Preliminaries.

When they took the court, the stands were almost empty. The metal carts with the volley balls were already prepared and, without saying a word, everyone started to warm up, well aware of the importance of the match they were going to play. They had come far. In fact, it was already the best result of the team in a tournament. And, although it was a great achievement, they didn't want to think of it as it. They had to meet an ambitious challenge. They needed to be focused, but, deep down, they felt a certain uneasiness. They couldn't say it was due to the effort of the previous day, but to a discomfort produced by anxiety and uncertainty. They were scared of not meeting the expectations.

"I'm so glad we are facing each other again", Hirata approached them, grinning. "Let's have a good match, as good as our practice match", she stretched her arm towards Yui, so they could shake hands.

"We won't go easy on you this time", the captain of Karasuno shook her hand firmly.

"I hope so", Hirata smirked. Then, she turned around and joined her team, who had been staring at Karasuno with some kind of sense of self-importance.

But Yui was being serious. They wasn't willing to give up and let alone without having played the match yet. They knew they weren't the best team in the Preliminaries, but that didn't mean they didn't have their own weapons to succeed. The third-year turned around and smiled as soon as she realized that her teammates had witnessed the whole situation and they seemed as bound and determined as her.

"Well said, Yui-san!" Ayako patted her back.

"Great things are awaiting us", Noriko added. "I can feel it"

The Ace grabbed a ball and was the first one to start the warm-up. Yoshino set it up and Noriko spiked it skillfully.

"It seems that Noriko-san is on fire today", Jiro smiled, feeling proud. "You know what you have to do, Furi-chan. Don't get left behind!" He pushed Noa a little bit so she could start warming up as well. She looked daggers at him, but the manager smiled at her innocently, and she stuck her tongue out as a response.

During the warm-up, Noa felt good. The tiredness of the previous day had disappeared, her muscles were already well and the spikes and serves she was doing during the warm-up were perfect. Nevertheless, every time she glanced at Chizuko, she felt terrible. She had seen the middle blocker's boyfriend kissing other girl and she, however, wasn't doing anything to fix the situation.

She sighed and scratched her head. Mayu and her promised to each other the night before that they wouldn't tell Chizuko until they weren't sure enough of what had happened and until they came up with a good strategy about how to handle the issue so Chizuko would suffer as little as possible, even though that was unavoidable.

Before starting the match, Hatsue called them to give them the last instructions. The coach had insisted on watching again the videos and, although everyone was a bit tired, they understood that it was necessary.

"They are using again a 6-2 formation. That's when you have two good setters and every players -including the setters- can hit the ball. They will always have three attackers in the front row, and their primary setter will be always coming from the back row", she explained. Everyone stared at her, their jags dropped, surprised by how much their coach had learnt about volleyball in a few weeks. "What!?" She crossed her arms. "What do you think, huh!? I'm your coach now! It's normal to study a little bit!" She huffed. "Anyway! The advantage of using a 6-2 is that they will have three hitters at the front row, so they can do some combination and quick attacks. And we already know that's their strong point. In a 5-1 situation, like ours, half of the formation would be the same when the setter is in the back row. But no switch is needed when the setter is at the front row. However, they would only have two front row hitters. Their defense must be strong as they are playing without a libero today"

"I bet they'd go for the blocks", Jiro added. "Attacks from the back row, surprising us, might be the key and, in terms of defense, Kinga only has two pure hitters, so we should have a small advantage in defense"

"Well, girls. You've already heard them", Yui stretched her right arm and everyone did the same, joining their hands in the middle of the circle they had formed. "Karasuno…"

"FIGHT!" They yelled in unison.

After that, they lined up and bowed.

STARTING ORDER

KINGA SCHOOL

Honda (WS-2nd year) | Fujita (S-2nd year) | Ishikawa (MB-3rd year)

Akiyama (MB- 3rd year) | Yukimura (S-3rd year) | Hirata (WS-3rd year)

NET

Michimiya (WS-3rd year) | Harada (MB-2nd year) | Furihata (WS-1st year)

Nagano (WS-3rd year) | Oka (MB-2nd year)/ Shiraiwa (L-2nd year) | Harada (S-2nd year)

Kinga served first. Honda served and the ball was easily received by Mayu. Ayako quickly tossed the ball for Yui, who spiked. However, the middle blocker couldn't get through the three blockers. The ball flied back to the side of Karasuno, but Noriko managed to lift it up before it touched the floor. Ayako moved to toss the ball, this time for Noa, as she knew the first-year was right behind her back. She spiked using all her strength, but Fujita, the second-year setter of Kinga, was hardly able to receive it and the ball flied towards Karasuno again.

Mayu received and lifted it up so Ayako could prepare a new attack. Noriko, who was attacking from the back row, was the best option, so she tossed for her. Yet, the defense of Kinga was firm and they forced the Ace to spike towards the left side, so the ball ended up bouncing out of the court.

 **1-0**

"It's fine! Don't worry!" Yoshino encouraged them. "It's only the first point!"

Honda served again. Mayu easily received and lifted the ball up perfectly for Ayako. The setter tossed for Noriko, but Akiyama was already in front of her, like a colossus. The middle blocker of Kinga stretched her arms, but, despite that, Noriko was able to find a weakness in her defense and took advantage of it to spike without being blocked. The ball was going to land on the floor, but Ishikawa managed to lift it up. The ball flew and started to fall near the net.

"Push!" The coach of Kinga yelled from the bench.

Ayaka jumped and so did Akiyama. Both girls were suspended in the air, trying to push the ball towards the side of the court of the other. But Akiyama was taller, stronger and more experienced than Ayaka and the ball landed in the side of Karasuno, even though Yui and Noa tried to stop it.

 **2-0**

Once more, Kinga served and as soon as the ball flied over the net and towards Karasuno, they started to prepare their defense. Mayu received again. The ball made a perfect curve in the air and Noriko jumped and spiked it much to everyone's surprise. The ball crossed the net flying diagonally and Ishikawa received. Kinga was ready to attack. Yukimura changed her position with Fujita, who pretended to toss for Hirata. However, it was a trick. She did a feint and scored.

 **3-0**

Hatsue clicked her tongue. "This is bad", she crossed her arms. "The distance is growing". She stood up. "Keep focused! Let's score in the next one!"

Honda served fourth time in a row. This time, the ball was received by Ayako. Her twin sister moved and waited patiently until the ball landed on the tip of her fingers and, then, she tossed it for Noa. The first-year made a cross-court shot, but Yukimura, who was part of a defense of two blockers with Hirata, stopped it. The ball fell in the side of Karasuno. Noa, however, stretched her arms to reach the ball. She lost her balance, but her fist hit the ball and it was enough to lift it up again high enough so it went over the net. Noa's move caught Kinga by surprise and, although Honda, Fujita and Ishikawa dived to prevent the ball from touching the floor, they didn't do it on time.

 **3-1**

From the sideline, Yoshino and Chizuko celebrated the point.

"How lucky", Jiro sighed. He had seen the whole play in slow motion, holding his breath until the ball had touched the floor.

"To have luck on our side can be important as well", Hatsue said, her eyes set on her players.

It was Noa's turn to serve. She grabbed the ball and sighed, trying to concentrate. She threw it and ran up to do her jump serve. When her right hand hit the ball with strength and precision, she knew the timing was perfect. It was a point for Karasuno.

The ball flew past the net at high speed. Kinga didn't even see it coming. The ball landed on the floor with a heavy thud, as if it had stopped for a moment, and, then, it flew off towards the stands.

The gym remained silent until the spectators yelled in awe and admiration.

 **3-2**

"What the hell was that!?"

"What an amazing jump serve!"

"Don't you think is similar to Oikawa-san's, the Aobajohsai captain?"

The players of Kinga exchanged looks. They were all thinking the same thing: during their practice match, Furihata Noa hadn't done any jump serve, let alone such a powerful jump serve.

"So this is their ace up their sleeve…" Hirata put her hands on her hips, watching the players of Karasuno congratulate the first-year.

"This is getting more interesting", Ishikawa added, smirking.

However, in the next serve, Noa didn't do it well. The ball was too high and it flew out towards the ceiling, falling in the side of the court of Karasuno. Some laughs were heard in the gym. Her teammates stared at her incredulous while Kinga couldn't help but have blank expressions on their faces.

"I guess… I guess the previous point was pure luck", Ishikawa scratched her head.

It was Akiyama's turn to serve. The middle blocker of Kinga jump served, aiming for the left sideline. Mayu wavered for a moment as she thought it was out, but she suddenly changed her mind and stretched her arms. It was a mistake. The ball hit her forearms and flew off.

 **4-2**

"I'm sorry!" The libero apologized.

"We have to gain points on Kinga", Ayako said. "We haven't started well, but we need to get a move on as soon as possible"

Yui nodded eagerly. "Let's do this"

"OSSSSS!"

Ishikawa did another jump serve. The ball was received by Ayako. Ayaka moved under the ball once more to set it up. Noriko and Yui moved towards the left, misleading Kinga players' attention so the middle blocker could toss for Noa. However, Ishikawa didn't fall into the trap and tried to block Noa's spike. The ball hit her hand, but the cross-court shot was too powerful and bounced out of the court.

 **4-3**

It was Ayaka's turn to serve. The ball easily landed on Honda's arms. Fujita tossed the ball for Hirata. Chizuko, Noriko and Yui, who were in the front row, jumped to block the spike. They knew how fast Hirata could swing her arms after having played a practice match against Kinga a few days ago. Thanks to that, they knew that they should count to two instead of three before blocking.

The spike was powerful even though Hirata didn't touch the ball with the entire palm of her hand. In fact, she tried the ball flew over the block of the three Karasuno players. However, Noriko stretched her arms out and managed to graze the ball with her long nails.

"One touch!"

Ayaka moved out of the court. She set the ball up, directing it towards her left, where Chizuko was already waiting. Yet, after being warned by Ayako, the middle blocker stepped aside and let the setter spiked from the backcourt, scoring.

 **4-4**

"YEEEEEEEEEEEES!"

They were now equalized. They only had to keep that pace, trying to put ahead of the scoreboard or, at least, not letting Kinga grow further in points like it had happened at the beginning.

However, and despite their efforts, they weren't able to make the distance in points grow. When they managed to draw, Kinga always scored again. Having Kinga so many players who could score, Karasuno was having trouble in defense. They should find a way to change the situation, find something that would make the difference in the first set. And it was Chizuko the one who thought that she had found it.

The middle blocker looked at the bench and waved at her coach. It took a few seconds for the woman to understand what the second-year actually wanted, but, as soon as she realized, Hatsue asked for a time-out.

"What's wrong?" The coach asked when everyone gathered around her.

"We can't let them receive well", Chizuko explained. The girl turned down the bottle of water Jiro was offering her and then he handled it to Yui, who drank. "Good offense comes from good return serves. What they are doing is passing the ball high to the setter. By doing so, you give time for the setter to get ready for the set and have time to peak the blockers. We are making things easier for Kinga. I've noticed Honda and Akiyama are the worst receivers by far"

"If we aim for them, they won't be able to pass the ball high to their setters", Ayako added, quickly understanding her friend.

"Alright. You know what you have to do then", Hatsue clapped her hands.

The time-out was over.

 **13-12**

KINGA SCHOOL

Akiyama (MB-3rd year) | Honda (WS-2nd year) | Fujita (S-2rd year)

Yukimura (S-3nd year) | Hirata (WS-3rd year) | Ishikawa (MB-3rd year)

NET

KARASUNO HIGH

Oka (MB-2nd year) | Nagano (WS-3rd year) | Michimiya (WS-3rd year)

Harada (S-2nd year) | Furihata WS-1st year) | Harada (MB-2nd year)

Ayaka served, aiming for Honda. The wing spiker was in the backcourt and, according to Chizuko, she had some trouble controlling the ball. When Honda received, she fell on her butt, so the ball didn't fly high enough. Fujita had to bend her knees to toss the ball for Hirata, who spiked. But, once more, the captain and Ace of Kinga bumped into three blockers. The ball hit hardly Chizuko's arm. She clenched her teeth, forcing herself to keep a firm block and, finally, the ball landed on the side of the court of Kinga.

 **13-13**

Ayaka served again. The ball flew towards Akiyama this time, but the serve wasn't as good as the previous one and the third-year middle blocker received without much trouble.

Fujita tossed the ball for Hirata, who was having trouble to score against Karasuno this time unlike in the practice match. The swing of her arm was so fast that the three Karasuno players who were in the front line didn't even have time to block her. Noa, however, using an amazing reflexes, dived, putting the palm of her hand against the wooden flooring.

The ball raised in the air again. From the backcourt, Ayako tossed for Yui. The wing spiker ran in diagonal, towards her right, and spiked through the center.

 **13-14**

"YEEEEEEEEEEEEEES!"

Everyone clenched their fists. For the first time in that match, they were leading in the scoreboard.

They had started the first set terribly, but, from that moment, once they managed to be on the lead, although it was only for just one point, the team started to work differently. They tried to follow Chizuko's advice as much as possible, aiming for Honda and Akiyama, especially when both girls were in the back row. On the other hand, they were succeeding in stopping Hirata Emi's spikes, the most dangerous player in Kinga, either on blocking them or forcing the setters to toss for someone else due to the intense marking of Karasuno. However, defending only one player allowed the rest of the players of Kinga to play more freely and score. That's why Karasuno didn't manage to grow the distance in points.

The end of the first set was near. If they won the first set against Kinga, Karasuno would bang on the table. They would show everyone that they were serious about going to Nationals. But they had a feeling that the first set shouldn't last much longer, so anxiety was starting to have an impact on some of them. Because they truly wanted to win that set.

Kinga was serving. Suddenly, Ayako raised her right arm, pointing at the ceiling with her index finger. The players of Kinga noticed it, guessing that Karasuno was preparing a special play, so they concentrated. On the other hand, Karasuno knew what that meant.

"That's the signal! She is going to use it!" Jiro mumbled, leaning forward due to his excitement.

"I told her she should decide when it's necessary to use it, but I'm not sure if it's a good moment right now", Hatsue wondered. "It could be risky. If the set lasts longer, she'll use a lot of energy and it's only the first set"

 **24-24**

KINGA SCHOOL

Hirata (WS-3rd year) | Yukimura (3-2nd year) | Akiyama (MB-3rd year)

Ishikawa (MB-3rd year) Fujita (S-2rd year) | Honda (WS-2nd year)

NET

KARASUNO HIGH

Harada (S-2nd year) | Oka (MB-2nd year) | Nagano (WS-3rd year)

Furihata (WS-1st year) | Harada (MB-2nd year) | Michimiya (WS-3rd year)

Hirata served skillfully. Ayaka stepped aside so Yui could receive the ball as she was the best of the team at receiving. The captain clenched her teeth as the ball landed on her forearms and was lifted up in the air. Ayako waited patiently under the ball. Behind her, Ayaka and Noa changed positions knowing that, if the attention of Kinga was misled, the ball would be perfect for Chizuko or Noriko to spike it. Both pretended to jump and the setter ended up tossing the ball for Noriko, who spiked it.

 **24-25**

"One more point!" Yoshino encouraged them from the sideline.

Noriko jump served. The Ace aimed for Akiyama, but the third-year middle blocker stepped aside and the serve was received by Yukimura, who managed to lift the ball up. Fujita moved to the right, changing positions with Ishikawa. Hirata, from the back row, Ishikawa and Honda jumped, all ready to spike. Finally, Honda was the one who spiked and scored, even though Chizuko and Noriko tried to block it, but their timing was off.

 **25-25**

Ishikawa served this time. Yui controlled the ball and pass it perfectly to Ayako. The setter tossed it for Noa, but the spike was blocked by Kinga. Before the ball could touch the floor, Ayaka managed to lift it up again. Ayako moved under the ball and waited patiently until it landed on her fingers. Everyone moved, waiting a toss that could go in any direction. The players of Kinga were already in the net ready to defend and cover Noriko. However, the toss was for Ayako, who spiked through the center from the back row. Akiyama touched the ball, but it flew off and bounced out of the court.

 **25-26**

No one said anything. It was the turn of Karasuno to serve. They should defend well and prepare a new attack. The first set was lasting more than necessary and Ayako was going to start weaken at any time, if she wasn't already.

Chizuko served. The ball landed on Hirata's arms easily. The second-year middle blocker clicked her tongue. She was hoping she could aim for Akiyama or Fujita, but, on the other hand, in the next play the Ace of Kinga couldn't take part in.

Yukimura was usually the setter that tossed the ball, but, that time, it was Fujita who did it. The second-year set it up for Honda, who made a cross spike. Noa and Ayaka were in the front row. The first-year closed her eyes, hoping to receive the impact, but she never felt it.

"One touch!"

Noa opened her eyes as her feet touched the floor again. Ayaka was clenching her teeth. The ball flew off a little bit, but, despite that, Ayako was able to set it up. Noriko and Chizuko seemed to be the best options for a spike, but the setter tossed the ball backwards in an unexpected move. It even surprised Yui, who suddenly found the ball in front of her, but, at the end, she reacted and spiked it. The spike touched the net and it ended up landing in the side of the court of Kinga. Honda, Akiyama and Fujita dived to prevent the ball from touching the floor, but it was already too late.

 **25-27**

All of them celebrated the point, well aware of how important winning the first set was.

"How the hell was she able to see her?" Yukimura put her hands on her hips.

"Maybe they have practiced that move many times", Honda suggested.

Hirata narrowed her eyes. She remembered the practice match. That move had been similar to that time the number 10, Furihata, couldn't spike the ball because she wasn't expecting it and it ended up hitting her forehead. At that moment, they laughed, but Hirata was starting to think that it was in fact something planned. It was a technique she didn't understand, at least not yet, but she didn't believe it was mere luck. Harada Ayako was doing those risky tosses because she wanted and she had probably practiced them.

"I don't know what it is", Hirata followed, "but it wasn't good for their setter". The girl pointed at Ayako. All Karasuno players were sweating, but Ayako was completely drenched with sweat. Truth to be told, she was even feeling dizzy because of an intense headache.

"You've been awesome!" Jiro yelled excited as he handled them towels to wipe their sweat and some water.

"We have to keep playing like this", the coach encouraged them. "But I don't want you to exert yourselves. Try to relax a little bit your movements and avoid so many useless changes of position. They are perfect to mislead our opponent's attention, but, after playing three matches yesterday and adding this one, you're going to start feeling tired in the second set", she made a pause. "Niimura-san, you are in"

"W-What?" The setter blinked confused.

"Harada-san can't continue playing"

"I'm fine", Ayako replied. She was sitting on the bench, with her head between her legs. It was obvious that she wasn't feeling well.

"Ayako-san!" Chizuko approached her. They had been so focused celebrating that they hadn't noticed how exhausted the second-year looked.

"No. You are not fine", Hatsue crossed her arms. "I'm the coach and I've made a decision. You have to recover a little bit. I don't want any injuries"

The beginning of the second set wasn't any different from the first one. Both teams weren't able to keep the distance in the scoreboard. If Kinga managed to be on the lead, the next point was always for Karasuno. And if Karasuno was on the lead for one point, Kinga always scored in the next play.

Hatsue, however, who was more experienced in competing, started to notice that something wasn't right. Her players' movements were slower with every passing minute and they didn't play as synchronized as before. _Fatigue is already denting them_ , she thought as she frowned. She was hoping her legs would start to feel stiff a little bit later, not at that moment. It was too soon, so she guessed that during the first set her players had exerted themselves more than she imagined.

And, in the middle of the set, they started to make more and more mistakes. It took them longer to reach the ball, they legs started to give out. Noa, who was physically more prepared from the beginning, seemed to be the only one in Karasuno to be still all out. But she couldn't win the second set all alone.

 **15-10**

KINGA SCHOOL

Hirata (WS-3rd year) | Yukimura (S-3nd year) | Akiyama (MB-3rd year)

Ishikawa (MB-3rd year) | Fujita (S-2rd year) | Honda (WS-2nd year)

NET

KARASUNO HIGH

Oka (MB-2nd year) | Nagano (WS-3rd year) | Michimiya (MB-3rd year)

Niimura (S-3rd year) | Furihata (WS-1st year) | Harada (MB-2nd year)

Hirata threw the ball in the air, gained momentum and did a powerful jump serve. The ball flew towards Noa. She tried to control it, but as soon as the ball hit her arms, it flew off. Karasuno turned around to see helplessly how the ball bounced out of the court.

 **16-10**

"It's fine, Noa-san", Yoshino encouraged her. "Next time, we'll stop her"

Hirata served again. This time, Noa did manage to receive. The ball moved in an erratic path, but it flew high enough for Yoshino to toss it for Chizuko. She spiked. Ishikawa's fingers grazed the ball, but the spike was powerful enough and, even though Yukimura dived, it was a point for Karasuno.

 **16-11**

"Great! Great!" Jiro yelled, clapping his hands.

Yui served. The ball landed on Akiyama's arms who easily lifted it up so Fujita could set it up. Hirata spiked and, once more, the blockers counted to two instead of three and jumped. Yoshino touched the ball with the tips of her fingers. Noa stepped backwards, ready to set the ball up. The toss wasn't as good as it should, but, despite that, Noriko was able to spike. Yet, the ball crashed against the blockers of Kinga.

 **17-11**

"YEEEEEEEEEEEEEES!" The players of Kinga yelled, clenching their fists. Karasuno was starting to bend, they were starting to dominate.

Fujita served. Yui controlled the ball and it flew off towards the front row. Yoshino waited patiently until it landed on her fingers. Every player of Karasuno moved, ready to spike, but the ball never reached them. Yoshino jumped. She tried to mislead Kinga players' attention pretending to set the ball up, but, at the end, she did a feint. However, the ball didn't fall in the side of the court of Kinga, it did it in the side of Karasuno.

 **18-11**

With a barrier formed by Akiyama and Honda, Kinga had blocked the setter's trick. Yoshino's eyes widened, feeling deeply disappointed with herself as she had been so obvious in her intentions.

From that moment, the gears, which had seemed to fit together perfectly, stopped working. What if everything had only been an illusion? What if those gears were only temporary and, actually, they didn't fit at all? Maybe they hadn't worked enough or, maybe, until that moment, everything that had happened to them had been pure luck and they were still being the same team.

Hatsue immediately realized how her players were feeling, what they were thinking. She could see it in their faces, in the way their bodies showed a complete surrender. She was the coach, _their_ coach, but what could she tell them? It should be them. They should realize how capable they were, and they should learn not to surrender even though things were bad for them. They were losing the second set and it seemed that they didn't have any reaction capacity. They had won the first set! They couldn't forget that! All was not lost.

She asked for a time-out. She tried to reason with them, but they didn't seem to be listening to her. They weren't playing the way the coach expected. They were making uncharacteric mistakes, like the time the ball fell to the court with the hitters looking confused at each other. There wasn't enough communication.

The zenith of the disaster arrived when Kinga had the set point.

KINGA SCHOOL

Hirata (WS-3rd year) | Yukimura (S-3nd year) | Akiyama (MB-3rd year)

Ishikawa (MB-3rd year) | Fujita (S-2nd year) | Honda (WS-2nd year)

NET

KARASUNO HIGH

Nagano (WS-3rd year) | Michimiya (WS-3rd year) | Harada (MB-2nd year)

Shiraiwa (L-2nd year) | Niimura (S-3rd year) | Furihata (WS-1st year)

It was Hirata's turn to serve. The captain of Kinga, who had a powerful serve, did a jump serve that Yoshino managed to control. Knowing that Mayu was on the court and that she was the best receiver the Karasuno had in the back row, Hirata aimed for Noa, but, at the end, it was the third-year setter who had received.

The ball flew high. Noriko moved under the ball. It seemed she was ready to set it up, but, as soon as the ball fell, she spiked. Yukimura received, passing the ball perfectly to Fujita. The second-year setter tossed the ball for Hirata, who came from the back court. Just like Karasuno had made during the first and the second set, they counted to two and jumped. However, they suddenly realized that Hirata had jumped a second later than them and, then, she spiked. When the Karasuno blockers' feet were already on the floor, Hirata was on the top to spike skillfully.

Mayu dived, but she only was able to graze the ball with the tip of her fingers before it touched the floor.

 **25-16**

Second set won by Kinga School.

Noriko, Yui and Ayaka, who tried to block Hirata in that last point, stared at her, their eyes widening. The captain and Ace of Kinga smirked and put her hands on her hips.

"Did you really think that I'm that stupid to not realize during the whole match that you've found out my technique? I like you, but you've lost the second set and you are going to lose the third one, Karasuno"

The Karasuno players' eyes widened, their jaws dropped.

Yoshino's legs gave out and she fell on her knees, her gaze fixed on the wooden flooring. If her strength was already faltering, she didn't even want to imagine how tired the rest of her teammates, who had played both sets, might be feeling.

None of them didn't want to think of it, they didn't want to keep playing. They only wanted to hide under a blanket and disappear. They were exhausted and defeated. They had ran out of ideas. One set. They only had to play one more set. And their dream would be over.

* * *

 **I hope everyone has enjoyed this chapter! I don't have a title for next one yet because I'm still thinking what I exactly want to happen in the second part of the chapter. I have many ideas that I need to organize first.**

 **Next, you'll have a new character profile. It's Jiro's! I don't know if you're reading them, but I thought it was a good idea due to the fact that this fanfic has so many OCs. And I'm thinking as well about drawing the OC characters. I'm not an expert and I'll have to draw using a pencil and a piece of paper, not the computer, but I think it'll be a good idea. I'm thinking of drawing a picture of all them together. Or we'll see... I think I want to do many things and I have little time.**

* * *

 **CHARACTER PROFILE**  
AOYAMA JIRO

 **Complete Name:** Aoyama Jiro

 **Date of birth:** April 1st

 **Age:** 17

 **Height:** 185.30 cm

 **Weight:** 80 kg

 **Appearance:** Jiro is tall and thin, what makes him look like an asparagus. He tends to shrug his shoulders while walking, so he's starting to have a hump, but he's trying to correct it or it will be too late.  
He's hair is short, slightly spiky and dark blue and he has violet-colored eyes.

 **Personality:** Jiro has an overwhelming personality, so he doesn't tend to please everyone. He doesn't fear approaching anyone and talk to them casually, even though he might not know them. He is outgoing and talkative, but, despite that, he doesn't have many friends. In fact, until he joined the girls' volleyball team as a manager, his only friend was Watanabe Nagisa.  
He is sometimes annoying because he doesn't realize when he's bothering someone. He is, however, much more observant than he actually seems, especially with those people who he finds interesting. He is committed with all those people who prove him that they are worth it and he is a guardian of lost causes. He loves sticking his nose into other people's business, he can't help it, he is an inveterate gossip, but he is also discreet and knows how to keep secrets which involve his friends. Yet, he is not as approachable as he seems due to different life experiences. He has a mask always put on his face to hide his real feelings and Nagisa is the only one –for the time being– to know it actually exists and to be able to read through it.

 **Occupation:** High school student (1st year, Class 2)

 **Team:** Karasuno High

 **Position:** Manager

 **Favorite food:** Yaki-imo

 **Goals:** To have a normal life

 **Current concern:** Yes, he has repeated one school year, so what? Why his classmates always judge him because of that? They don't know him! And they don't know his circumstances!

 **Statistics** (out of 5)  
Power: 3  
Jump: 4  
Stamina: 2  
Strategy: 3  
Technique: 1  
Speed: 3

* * *

 **~ See you soon!**


	25. Truth always comes out

**A/N: Hello everyone! I managed to upload this chapter sooner than expected. I'm going on vacation today, so I wanted to finish it as soon as possible. At first, I thought I wasn't going to make it, but I finally did it!**  
 **Last chapter was all about volleyball, but I promised that this one was going to more on the story and the characters, so I hope you like this chapter.**  
 **Oh! I almost forgot! I've drawing some of the OCs of this story. I'm not an expert, but I'm more or less proud of what I'm doing. Now I don't have time to show how I drew Noa, but next chapter I'll show you, along with other drawings of Jiro and Nagisa.**

 **Deadlywhisper21: Omg, thank you so much! I've watched a lot of volleyball and read a lot about it. There are many things that I don't understand yet, but I guess that I will if I continue doing some research about the topic.**  
 **Mmmm… Daichi as a love interest for Noa? I haven't considered it until you told me in your last review. I'm not sure if that pleases me. I mean, yeah, they could be something, but I guess I prefer their relationship to be more like brother-sister. They have found someone to rely on, but if one of them falls in love I think all that progress they've made is going to crumble. But, well, that's my opinion. You might think otherwise J**

 **Luna: hahahaha I'm glad you are feeling so nervous for the match. You're right, they've work so hard. It would be a pity if they don't win this match.**  
 **To answer your question (if Noa was going to interact with other boys' teams), she has already interacted with Nekoma (especially Kuroo) and Ushijima. I didn't want to spoil anything, but I'll tell you something that I think you're going to like: Ushijima will be back sooner than you expect and he won't be alone (if you know what I mean… *cof cof* Shiratorizawa *cof cof*) AND Nekoma (Kuroo mainly) will be back as well, but you'll have to wait a bit longer for that.**

 **I do not own Haikyuu or its characters**

* * *

 **CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR**  
Truth always comes out

Hatsue looked at her players. They all seemed sad, already defeated despite they had still one more set to play. She sighed and put her hands on her hips.

"Stop pitying yourselves"

The girls raised their gaze from the floor and stared at her, astonished. She was their coach. She was supposed to be supportive, she should be encouraging them with positive words. It was as if she was attacking them.

"Well, what did you expect? Did you want me to tell that everything is going to be okay? That's not my style", Hatsue raised an eyebrow. "There's only one set left. Don't sit back and relax"

"But if we lose-"

"If you lose, life goes on", Hatsue cut Yui off. "The third-years' period in the team will be definitely over, but the rest of the team will learn from their mistakes for the next year. Try to enjoy the moment at least, okay? Free your mind. You can do it. You've believed you could do it during the first set, but, due to the fact that things weren't as you all expected in the second one, you've crumbled. What did you intend? Do you think all matches are going to be easy? If you think that way, I prefer that you don't go to Nationals. You'll be devoured. Teams which qualify for those competitions are predators. You'll be an appealing prey. Don't make me regret the decision I made. Don't make me regret I'm coaching you"

The blow of the whistle which followed Hatsue's words warned them that the third set was about to start. Jiro gave them a thumbs-up to encourage them, but none of the girls seemed to notice it.

 **3rd set**

KINGA SCHOOL

Honda (WS-2nd year) | Fujita (S-2nd year) | Ishikawa (MB-3rd year)

Akiyama (MB-3rd year) | Yukimura (S-3rd year) | Hirata WS (3rd year)

NET

KARASUNO HIGH

Michimiya (WS-3rd year) | Harada (MB-2nd year) | Furihata (WS-1st year)

Nagano (WS-3rd year) | Oka (MB-2nd year/ Shiraiwa (L-2nd year) | Niimura (S-3rd year)

"You've been too harsh", Jiro said frowning.

"Are you going to tell me now how I have to motivate my players?" The woman crossed her arms. "I know what I've told them has hurt them, but, right now, two different things can happen: they can totally wallow in misery or they can take out all that anger because of what I've said and project it in the match to get all strength needed to win"

Jiro pressed his lips in a thin line, not much convinced of what the coach said. Right then, Kinga scored its third point while Karasuno hadn't even managed to get one point.

Hirata Emi, who hadn't been feeling comfortable during the match, had managed to loosen up and she was now being trouble for the defense of Karasuno. The swings of her arms were quick and accurate. Her straights were so fast that the Karasuno players found them utterly difficult to block as they were always late. This fact and the lack of coordination in the moves of Karasuno were letting Kinga be leading the scoreboard. Kinga was now the favorite to win. Karasuno players had exerted themselves during the first set and that was taking its toll on them now. Kinga didn't seem to need much effort to win the match.

"Harada-san, come over", Hatsue called Ayako, who was standing, watching the match closely. The setter approached the bench. "Do you think you'll be able to play the rest of the match?"

"Sure! I'm always prepared"

The coach grinned. "Good. What have you seen?"

"What do you mean?"

"You've been out of the court for a long time, watching the match. You've had to notice things your teammates haven't. You have to take advantage of it. So, tell me, what have you seen?"

Ayako thought about it for a few seconds before giving an answer.

"They are abusing quick attacks"

"But, according to what I've read, quick attacks are mostly used against teams whose strong point is blocking or teams whose blockers are tall, didn't they?" Jiro asked.

"Yes", Hatsue answered. "But even though Karasuno lacks height, that's the style of Kinga. Their team has good hitters and setters. They play that way to make the most of their players, as it should be", she stood and asked for a time out.

When the whistle blew, everyone gathered around the coach. Their faces hadn't much changed, but she trusted that Ayako, with her confidence, could push them enough to react.

"Harada-san is in. Niimura-san is out", the coach informed. "According to Harada-san, Kinga is abusing quick attacks. Maybe we could find a way to defeat them if we find out which is the weak point in their strategy"

"We'll have to keep an eye on their timing and coordination", Ayako explained. "It will take us a little bit to get used to it, but, when we'll do it, they'll be forced to choose between two options: switching between quick and slow attacks or increasing the speed of their attacks. And, taking as a starting point what I've seen, that their strong point is the quick attack, I hope they'll aim for the second option. It will benefit us"

"Mmmm… Quick attacks demand a lot of pressure and stress in the players. Increasing that speed they will be prone to making mistakes", Ayaka grinned. "I like this plan"

"But we can't", Yui said. "I mean, our legs aren't working like before"

"They'll have to work then, Yui-san", Ayako frowned. "I'm playing because I want to win. That's what _this_ moron promised to all of us", the setter pointed at Noa.

"Hey!" The first-year quibbled.

"I'm sick of being laughed at, of being the weakest link in the chain. I'm not losing today. And, if I lose, it would be kicking and biting, _fighting_ ", the setter followed, ignoring Noa's death stare. "Don't let Mori-san be right. Stop pitying yourselves"

The blow of the whistle warned them that the time-out was over. Hatsue clapped her hands so everyone would get back to their positions as soon as possible.

"Harada-san", she called the setter, who looked over her shoulder. "Well done. But be careful. You might be too confident sometimes. It could turn against you"

The second-year nodded eagerly and Hatsue smiled. The setter was mentally strong. Maybe she was too straightforward sometimes, even rude, but she was a survivor. And Mori Hatsue was certain that her personality was what the team needed at that moment.

 **17-11**

KINGA SCHOOL

Yukimura (S-3rd year) | Akiyama (MB-3rd year) | Honda (WS-2nd year)

Hirata (WS-3rd year) | Ishikawa (MB-3rd year) | Fujita (S-2nd year)

NET

KARASUNO HIGH

Oka (MB-2nd year) | Nagano (WS-3rd year) | Michimiya (WS-3rd year)

Harada (S-2nd year) | Furihata (WS-1st year) | Harada (MB-2nd year)

Just like Ayako predicted, Karasuno had some trouble to catch up with the rhythm of Kinga. Tiredness had already dented them, so their bodies wasn't responding as they should. But, little by little, and although they didn't manage to completely block the spikes of Kinga, there was always someone ready to receive in the backcourt whether it was more or less gracefully.

As the third set was drawing on, the feeling of helplessness and unease which had hit them at the end of the second set was starting to be replaced by anger. Hatsue's words were like a punch. They weren't pitying themselves! She was supposed to be their coach, she should be encouraging them. Anger had started to grow inside of them and they wanted to show Hatsue that she was completely wrong, that everyone was wrong. But it was being difficult for them. Although, definitely, they were trying.

Moreover, and rubbing salt in their wounds, Ayako was on their coach's side. Their own teammate. They knew the second-year well enough to know that she never spoke without a reason. If she said something, it was because she was feeling it. She had no filter. The setter seemed willing to fight, even though she had to fight alone. And everyone felt bothered about it because it wasn't that they didn't want to fight. The point was that their strength was faltering, that they were becoming smaller as Kinga bombarded them with one quick attack after another.

But Ayako was right. Kinga ended up choosing the second option: increasing the speed of their attacks. That way, the tosses were more inaccurate and not all their spikes were perfect. The coach of Kinga tried to bring some sanity, being forced to ask for a time-out when at the beginning of the set his team seemed to be solving everything easily. But, at that moment, his players were overwhelmed by the fact that Karasuno was still fighting. They shouldn't have taken for granted that their rivals were already defeated. They had made a terrible mistake even though he had already warned his players. Even Hirata had noticed it. The Karasuno they were facing at that moment wasn't the same as the Karasuno that played in the Preliminaries of the Inter High.

 **25-26**

KINGA SCHOOL

Ishikawa (MB-3rd year) | Hirata (WS-3rd year) | Yukimura (S-3rd year)

Fujita (S-2nd year) | Honda (WS-2nd year) | Akiyama (MB-3rd year)

NET

KARASUNO HIGH

Furihata (WS-1st year) | Harada (S-2nd year) | Oka (MB-2nd year)

Harada (MB-2nd year) | Michimiya (WS-3rd year) | Nagano (WS-3rd year)

Ishikawa served. Ayaka received easily and lifted the ball up in the air. Her twin sister moved backwards and tossed the ball for Noriko, who jumped from the backcourt. Her spike was powerful, but Hirata dug and lifted the ball up for her teammates.

Fujita and Yukimura changed positions. The blockers of Karasuno tried to find out which setter was going to toss and to who. Suddenly, Ayako pushed Noa, what the first-year understood as a way to ask her to follow Yukimura. The ball landed on Fujita's fingers, who set the ball up for Honda. The attack came from the center, but Yui was attentive and she managed to prevent the ball from touching the wooden floor. It flew off towards the side of the court of Kinga. Without thinking twice, Hirata spiked it, but it was too powerful and the ball flew over the side of the court of Karasuno and landed outside of it, but closer to the side line.

It was a point for Karasuno. Jiro let out all the air he had been holding in his lungs.

 **26-26**

"I think I'm going to throw up", the manager put his hand over his throbbing chest.

"If you are going to throw up, do it to the other side, please", Hatsue glanced at him to check if he was fine.

"How can you be so chill, Mori-san? We've evened the score one more time. I hope they don't get nervous"

"Trust in them"

It was Chizuko's time to serve. Just like they have done in the first set, she aimed for Honda, who, along with Akiyama, was the worst receiver in Kinga. The wing spiker didn't lift the ball up as she wished, but that didn't stop Yukimura from tossing for Hirata. The Ace swung her arm as if it was a whip. The three blockers of Karasuno jumped and, with the tip of her fingers, Ayaka rubbed the ball.

"One touch!" The middle blocker yelled.

Chizuko ran towards the ball. She hit it as hard as she could, sending it towards her teammates. Noa ran from the right and she got ready to do a cross-court that Akiyama blocked, but the first-year managed to give it so much angle that her rival could only rubbed it with her nails as the ball flew almost parallel to the net.

"Nice shot!" Everyone yelled while Noa clenched her fist. The palm of her hand was red and her skin burned due to the strength she had used to spike. But that pain made her feel alive. They had to reach the match point.

Chizuko took some breath, trying to calm the trembling of her arm. The sweat was falling down her forefront and was starting to get into her eyes, what made her feel some discomfort. Her body was tense and she thought that, anytime, her muscles were going to say enough is enough. But she had to serve. She should aim well.

The ball flew towards Honda once again, but the second-year stepped aside and it was Fujita the one who received. The ball landed on Yukimura's hands. The setter got ready to set it up for Hirata, but the coordination of both girls wasn't optimal and Ayaka blocked the spike firmly, which landed on the side of the court of Kinga.

"YES!" Jiro and Yoshino shouted at the same time, their yell quickly disappearing as soon as the crowd's applause followed. Finally, one of the teams had the match point. After having a hard time during the second set and after having partially resurrected in the third one, Karasuno could win the match.

 **26-27**

"Come on, Chizuko!" Ayako encouraged her. "Nice serve!"

Chizuko swallowed hard as she got ready to serve. She wanted to aim for Honda one more time, but, by that time, Kinga knew already her intentions. She hit the ball only to send it to the other side, although she knew that could be a terrible mistake. But her mind couldn't process anything at that moment, let alone after so many emotions experienced in only one match.

Ishikawa received. Yukimura tossed for Hirata, and, when the blockers jumped, Ayako's legs buckled and that part of the defense was exposed.

 _Shit_ , everyone thought when they saw how the ball went through the block easily. Yui, however, dived, preventing the ball from touching the floor at the last minute. Ayako set it up and Noa spiked as hard as she could.

The ball hit Fujita's chest. It flew off, but Honda managed to get on time to set it up from the billboard so Akiyama could spike. It was blocked by Noa's forearm. Yet, the ball threatened to fall in their side of the court anyway. Ayaka stretched her arm on time so she stopped it and Ayako sent the ball to Kinga, so they could regroup.

Yukimura, the main setter of Kinga, set the ball up quickly. Hirata did an amazing spike, but Yui received, clenching her teeth. The ball landed on Ayako's hands who set it up for Noriko, who spiked. The blockers of Kinga stopped it. The ball returned to Karasuno and they prepared another attack, but it was blocked once again and it returned once more to the side of the court of Karasuno.

The crowd hold their breath as they saw how Karasuno wasn't able to beat the blockers of Kinga two times in a row. The third time, the ball went through the blockers, but Akiyama rubbed it.

"One touch!"

Fujita and Ishikawa ran backwards to avoid the ball bounced out of the court. The third-year middle blocker warned her teammate and hit the ball, which made a perfect curve in the air. It started to land near the net and Hirata jumped to spike.

Jiro stood up, unable to stay calm.

The ball crossed the court, but Noriko managed to control it. The ball was set up by Ayako to the person who was right behind her. Chizuko jumped from de back line and yelled at the same time she hit the ball, full of rage. The ball flew over the net and fell at high speed toward the wooden floor. Ishikawa jumped forward, diving, but one of the referees raised the flag as he blew the whistle.

The ball had already touched the floor when Ishikawa had reached the ball. Karasuno had won.

 **26-28**

The crowd burst into cheers, applauding the winner. Kinga player's eyes widened, not believing how they could have let get away a match they had controlled. They had been too confident and, although it was extremely harmed, they let Karasuno alive when they should have finished it off.

Jiro raised his fists in the air and hugged Hatsue, who didn't know how to respond to the unexpected move of the manager. Karasuno girls bent their knees and sighed, feeling relieved. They didn't celebrate, because it didn't taste as a true victory. Although they had managed to recover at the end, they had shown everybody that they were much weaker than what they expected at first.

Yoshino approached her teammates and help them stand up one by one.

"We have to bow, captain", she smiled at her best friend.

Both teams lined up and bowed.

"We've underestimated you", Hirata confessed. "But I think that, thanks to us, from now on, your rivals won't take you for granted"

"That was the whole point", Yui replied as she shook the Ace and captain of Kinga's hand.

"Well done, girls. I'm so proud of you", Hatsue smiled. "I know you are tired now, but try to relax a little bit because our next rival is Shiratorizawa"

Noa, who was drinking some water, almost choked. Everyone turned around to look at her and she wiped the water that was spread all over her mouth and chin with her hand. The first-year grinned nervously, trying to comfort her teammates who seemed worried for her.

"My mistake"

"All right", Hatsue clapped her hands to catch her players' attention again. "As I was saying, you can relax for now. We have to leave the gym for the next match. The first semifinal is between Niiyama and Aobajohsai. Go to the restroom, massage your muscles and we'll see each other in the stands. We'll enjoy some volleyball as spectators"

The girls left the court and searched for a good place in the hallways of the sport facility where they didn't bother anyone in order to stretch their numb and sore muscles. Mayu, however, grabbed Noa's arm and she dragged her towards the restrooms, ignoring the curious stares of some of their teammates.

"Shiratorizawa", Mayu mumbled. "We didn't think about that possibility"

"What are we going to do!?" Noa panicked.

"Don't be so loud!" Mayu muttered. "I don't know", she whined. "This is too hard", she hid her face with her hands. "We can't say anything right now. That would destroy Chizuko-san"

"And what about us? We have to see that girl's face again! Do you think she'll do something?"

"What are you two murmuring?"

Mayu and Noa flinched when they heard a voice behind them. Ayako was watching them with her hands on her hips and her brow furrowed. Next to her, Ayaka and Chizuko stared at them curiously.

"We were worried about you", Chizuko explained.

"You are acting weird", Ayako pointed out.

"Are you sure everything is all right?" Ayaka asked.

"Yes! Yes!" Mayu and Noa replied at the same time and, then, both smiled innocently.

"You are scaring me. Don't make that face never again", Ayako grimaced and pushed one of the doors of the restrooms.

Noa and Mayu exchanged looks. They had preferred running away from their teammates, but they finally stayed with Chizuko and the twins not to give rise to a suspicion.

Together, they left the restrooms and went back with the rest of the team.

"Look! It's Watanabe-san!" Chizuko pointed towards his direction. Nagisa was wearing the school uniform. He had his hands in the pockets of his trousers and was listening carefully to what Jiro, who was extremely excited, was explaining to him.

"Oh. His sister is here too", Ayaka added. "Didn't she tell us that she would come when we had to play the final? We are going to play now the semifinals"

Watanabe Aimi was beautiful. She was wearing a grey cardigan and a dark blue pencil skirt. Her glowing blond hair was tied up in a bun. Her beauty was overwhelming. Everyone who walked near her turned around to stare at her. She knew that for sure, but she was already used to being in the spotlight, so she kept chatting with the coach as if nothing happened.

"Oh! Here they are!" Jiro beamed happily. The four girls waved at the Watanabe siblings, smiling.

"Thanks for coming", Chizuko bowed.

"You don't have to be so formal", Aimi giggled.

"Chizuko-san is adorable", Jiro said, making the second-year middle blocker blush.

"Congratulations for qualifying for semifinals", Nagisa said. "I've been told that it was thanks to you, Harada-san"

Ayako clicked her tongue. "Yeah. Well… It wasn't a big deal. I didn't even play in the second set", she rubbed the back of head, feeling a bit uncomfortable.

"You are too humble, nee-chan", Ayaka smirked teasingly and tapped her sister's back.

"Shut up", Ayako hissed.

"What are you doing here, Aimi-san?" Noa asked.

"Well, isn't it obvious? I came to see your big match!"

"But it isn't our big match", Yoshino replied. "It would be tomorrow and only if we won. We are playing the semifinals today"

"Mmm… Well", Aimi seemed to waver for a few seconds. "But you know that this year-"

"We should go now, sister. Let's find some good seats", Nagisa cut his sister off. He put his hand on Aimi's shoulder.

"What?"

"Come on", he dragged her out.

"But-"

" _Come on_ "

Everyone blinked confused as they watched them leave towards the stands.

"Jiro-kun, you might be a weirdo, but your friend is much worse than you", Noriko shrugged as she glanced at the manager. "Watanabe-kun is such a weird boy". Her teammates nodded eagerly.

"Okay", Hatsue clapped her hands to catch their attention. "When you finish stretching your muscles and you can go see the match which is taking place now. When the match is about to end, we'll come here to review what we now about Shiratorizawa, okay?"

Everyone nodded again.

The twins, Chizuko, Mayu and Noa joined the third-years to stretch their muscles. Jiro stayed with them to help them after he finished refilling the bottles. They made sure they were doing the exercises right and, for that, they helped each other. It was important not to get injured, let alone after all the effort made and especially when they were facing Shiratorizawa next. They had to make good use of the little stamina they still had and not use all of it in the first set, like it had happened against Kinga. They had ended up suffering and their bodies were already in pain. That mistake could cost them the match against Shiratorizawa. But, truth to be told, they preferred not to think about it when the match hadn't even started in the first place.

When they finished, they put on the jackets of their tracksuits and walked towards the stairs which led to the stands. The sound of the bands of both high schools and the chants of the students didn't let them hear the sound of the squeaking trainers against the wooden floor.

They searched for Nagisa, Hatsue and Aimi until Yoshino spotted them in the first row, in the opposite side of where they were standing. They crossed the stands, apologizing for bothering and they sat around the three of them.

"How is it going?" Yui asked.

"It's a narrow match", Aimi replied. "They are all good"

Noa stood up a little bit to have a better look of the scoreboard. Aobajohsai was winning Niiyama 17-15, but it didn't seem that the distance was going to grow. At that moment, a tall short-haired girl, a Niiyama player, jumped higher than the Aobajohsai blockers and scored. The crowd cheered.

"They are huge", Mayu's eyes sparkled with admiration. "Especially that girl"

Niiyama had become one of the strongest girls' volleyball teams in the Miyagi prefecture in the last years. The school had been working for years to create a good basis and picked the more promising girls in the prefecture. In the last five years, Niiyama had gone to Nationals and they were the favorite team in Miyagi to go once again.

Noa found amazing watching them play. All of them had good physical conditions. They were tall, muscular and their limbs were long. Noa didn't know how they would be out of the court, but, when they played, their faces were so serious and determined that they almost gave her chills.

It didn't take long for Niiyama to be on the lead. Noa's eyes sparkled, full of admiration and excitement. She expected she had provoked the same reaction when she played beach volleyball because, right now, she felt that that aura of an unbeatable spirit was gone. And she wanted to get it back. She had to. Being able to wake up in others a feeling of admiration had always been motivation enough for her. She had forget about it until then.

"One day we'll be like them"

"Mmmm?" Mayu hadn't hear her well. The libero glanced at her, but Noa had still her eyes on the match, as if she was hypnotized.

"One day we'll provoke that feeling. We'll be powerful and people will fear us as a team"

Mayu didn't reply and returned her attention to the match. She really wanted to believe what Noa said, but she found that goal too far for them to achieve.

Niiyama ended up winning the first set and the second one seemed prone to the same. Hatsue was the first one to stand up and she waved her hand, so they could follow her. They had to start stretching their muscles again and review some things before the match started.

"We'll be rooting for you!" Aimi smiled gently. "Good luck!"

The players followed their coach. They left the stands and gathered in one of the hallways. Jiro rummaged in his bags and took a whiteboard with magnets that he handed to Hatsue.

"We've prepared more the match against Kinga", the coach started. "The point is that playing more than a match in one day is trouble, but we have to do the best we can", she moved the magnets, showing them the line-up. There wasn't much difference, they were the same players. The only thing that changed was the initial positions. The tallest members of the team were in the front line at the beginning.

"Shiratorizawa has the tallest players in the tournament", Hatsue explained. "They are powerful thanks to their serves. Sawa Chiyoko –wing spiker, second-year– and Akabayashi Ai –wing spiker, third-year– have a powerful spike. They are known as the 'Perfect Tandem' as they can defeat any defense. It doesn't matter how strong it is. They are the best hitters Shiratorizawa has. Yet, it's not a perfect team. They are weak in defense because, in contrast to their attack, they aren't as disciplined"

The match had ended. Niiyama was in the final of the Spring High Preliminaries.

While the court was being cleaned and set up for the second semifinal, Karasuno tried to stimulate their muscles by jumping and stretching their legs.

Noa took a deep breath as she moved her legs and arms, trying to erase all nervousness provoked by the fact that they had to play against a strong opponent. And truth to be told, she didn't want either to know them, especially after what she had witnessed the day before.

"I have to admit that it's been a huge surprise that you've come this far"

Noa turned around. Her eyes widened. The girl who had been kissing Chizuko's boyfriend was standing right behind her. Next to her, another girl was smirking playfully. The rest of the players of Shiratorizawa were on the opposite side of the hallway and, although they didn't seem to be paying attention to what was happening, they were actually glancing at them from time to time.

"You seem to be a good team. You've changed a lot compared to how ridiculous you were during the Inter High Preliminaries! I guess it's all thanks to you. I don't know you, so you must be new", the girl narrowed her sharp eyes. Noa opened her mouth to say something, but words didn't come out her mouth. Mayu, who had been next to her all the time, had turned pale. "I can tell that you are a good person. Thanks for keeping my secret!" She winked at Noa.

"I-I don't know what you are talking about", Noa mumbled.

As soon as Noa replied, her teammates turned around and stared at them curiously. The girl glanced over Noa's shoulder and smirked mischievously.

"But, you know? I'm not as good as you are. In fact, I'm not good at keeping secrets at all"

"I-I think you should go. Your teammates are over there", Mayu interfered. She imagined what that girl was trying to do.

"You are Chizuko-san, aren't you?" The girl completely ignored Mayu. Chizuko blinked confused. She didn't know who that girl was, but she nodded anyway. "I find really interesting the fact that your boyfriend goes to Shiratorizawa and you are now its rival"

"Do you know Takeshi-kun?" Chizuko seemed surprised.

"Oh I know him _really_ well", she chuckled. "Anyway, isn't it weird, the fact that he is going to be sitting with his classmates and cheering for your rival?"

"I-It's fine", Chizuko replied, still feeling confused. "He isn't coming anyway"

"But he was here yesterday!" The girl beamed happily and, then, she pointed at Noa and Mayu, who flinched. "Didn't your teammates tell you?"

Chizuko looked at Mayu and Noa. Why hadn't they told her?

Meanwhile, Noa was feeling that she was starting to panic and Mayu seemed she could faint at any given moment.

"Didn't they tell you?" The girl faked surprise. "Ops! Maybe I'm talking too much"

"Hey! What do you think you are doing?" Ayako frowned. That girl was taking on her nerves. She had the feeling that she wasn't playing fair.

" _Don't_ attack me", the girl raised both eyebrows. "I'm not the liar here. He is the only one lying because he's hiding things from his girlfriend. Too many things", she made a puppy face. "I'm only being nice"

The emphasis she made while pronouncing 'too many' made Karasuno be on alert immediately, so all of them started to get defensive.

"If you want to say something, just say it", Noriko spat.

"You have a charming boyfriend, Chizuko-san. That beauty mark he has near the belly button is really sexy. You should appreciate him more"

Chizuko's eyes widened. Everyone opened their mouths, astonished. Ayako clenched her fists.

"What are you suggesting!?" The setter was furious.

"It's just a tip. He needs to feel loved. It's normal that he wants to find that love in someone else, someone like me"

"Chizuko, don't listen to her", Ayako looked at the middle blocker, but she seemed to be far away. Her eyes were fixed somewhere else.

"Be attentive as well of who your friends are. If I saw my friend's boyfriend kissing other girl, I would tell her immediately", the girl glanced at Mayu and Noa. Everyone in Karasuno stared at them intently. "You should be more careful from now on"

"Why are you doing this?" Yui muttered.

"Because we are girls and we have to take care of each other, don't you think?" She smiled innocently.

"Fuck you!" Ayako yelled. The setter stepped forward, but, as soon as she did it, Yoshino and Noriko stopped her, knowing that the second-year might have made a huge mistake.

"Oi! Be careful of what you do", the other girl, who hadn't say a word till then, stepped aside, protecting her teammate standing in front of her, as a shield. "Don't even think about laying a hand on Chiyoko"

"Let it be, Ai", the girl put her hand on her teammate's shoulder, trying to calm her down. "They'll have many things to talk about before the match starts and we need to start warming up"

Both girls joined their team. The rest of the players of Shiratorizawa were glancing at Karasuno, smirking, and, then, they went through the door and headed towards the court to start the warm-up.

"Chizuko-san…" Noa felt a lump in her throat. The middle blocker was pale. "I… I mean… We…" Noa tried to approach her, but, as soon as she did, Chizuko fixed her eyes on her and Noa stopped. The first-year felt a throbbing pain in her stomach. Chizuko's eyes were watering.

"We didn't want to…" Mayu tried to apologize without much success.

"What kind of teammates you are!?" Ayako pushed them. She was angry.

"We didn't want to hurt her"

"It's obvious that the remedy was worse than the disease!"

"You could have stand up for her. You could have said that she was lying!" Ayako crossed her arms.

"S-She wasn't…" Chizuko muttered. Everyone turned around to look at her. She was clenching her fists.

"W-What?"

"Come on, Chizuko-san", Yoshino smiled gently. "She has said that because she wants to hurt us. We all know that you boyfriends loves-" The third-year stretched her arm towards the middle blocker, but Chizuko slapped her senpai's hand.

"Don't touch me!" Her voice broke off. Her teammates looked at her, sad expressions on their faces as they didn't know what to say to make her feel better. "Why are you looking at me like that!? I don't want you to feel sorry about me!"

"Chizuko", Jiro approached her, but the middle blocker stepped backwards. The manager tried to hold her in his arms, but, before he could reach her, Chizuko turned around and ran away.

"Chizuko!" Everyone yelled at the same time, but the middle blocker was already disappearing in the hallway.

"This is all your fault!" Ayako turned to point at Noa and Mayu in an accusing way.

"Calm down", Yui meddled. "If there's someone responsible of all is this, it's Chizuko-san's boyf-"

"She was telling the truth! And you didn't say anything to stop her! You let them get away with it!"

"We didn't want to hurt Chizuko-san", Mayu tried to defend herself. "Put yourself in our place! What would have you done?"

"We were planning to tell her, but we didn't want anything to affect our performance!"

"You are stupid", Ayaka looked daggers at Noa.

"Fuck off those damn Nationals!" Ayako's face was red because of the anger. "What's good now, huh!? Chizuko isn't here! You let her be publicly humiliated! Since you are in the team, you've only made things more complicated! Look at us now! We are a damn mess!"

"You are crossing the line, Ayako-san", Mayu wasn't letting anyone blame them for what had happened, let alone Noa. Her best friend didn't mean any harm.

"Everything was fine! We were all friends and right now Chizuko isn't here!"

"What the hell is happening here!?" Hatsue was gazing at them with her hands on her hips and her brow furrowed. "Shiratorizawa is already warming-up. I've been waiting for you in the court for five damn minutes! And your yells can be heard in the whole building!"

By the expression on their faces, Hatsue knew that her players had had an argument. And in the worst possible moment.

"Where is Oka-san?" The woman asked. She noticed that the middle blocker wasn't around.

"S-She's gone", Yui answered, her voice shaking. Their coach seemed to be really mad at them.

"What do you mean? Has she gone to the restrooms?"

"W-We don't know", the captain made a pause. "She ran away"

"Some girls from Shiratorizawa have said bad things about her boyfriend", Yoshino added.

"And she's gone now", Hatsue seemed truly mad, even more than before. "She is gone, even though she knows that we don't have enough players and that she is always in the line-up. So that's what you mean"

"I…I'll go find her", Jiro moved away, hoping that would decrease the coach's bad mood.

"Start warming up now", she hissed. She could tell them many things, but she preferred to bite her tongue not to make things worse. She didn't want to aggravate the situation, because she was well aware that whatever had happened was going to affect their performance against Shiratorizawa.

Ayako hustled Noa and Mayu before joining the rest of the team. Both girls remained quiet while the rest of the team entered the court to start the warm-up. Mayu sighed and tapped Noa's back gently before following them. Noa looked at the same place where Jiro had gone, hoping he would appear with Chizuko. But they didn't. She was hoping that the manager could find a solution and that, someday, Chizuko would forgive them.

* * *

 **So, that's it! That's the end of the chapter!**

 **For the next one, I have many ideas for a title in mind. The simple ones are 'Shiratorizawa' or 'Swans', but I have other in mind like 'Her three types of smile' or 'Spread your wings' (this is my favorite). Well, I think I have still plenty of time to think about it.**

 **Next: the coach's character profile!**

 **CHARACTER PROFILE**  
MORI HATSUE

 **Complete Name:** Mori Hatsue

 **Date of birth:** December 25th

 **Age:** 36

 **Height:** 176.57 cm

 **Weight:** 68 kg

 **Appearance:** Mori Hatsue is a woman who impresses at first sight. Not only because she is fairly tall, but because her career as a professional water polo player gave her an astonishing body and a broad back. She is only muscles, even though she retired some years ago.  
During the last 10 years, Hatsue has changed a lot. She hasn't short black hair anymore. Now it's longer and she had dyed it red. She has also sharp brown eyes.

 **Personality:** Hatsue is honest and serious in all what she does. She likes when things are done well and that usually implies doing it her way because most of the time she's right. She's aware that she's tough sometimes, especially with words, but she considers also that toughness is necessary to progress in life.  
She is independent and resolute. She doesn't follow what other people expects and she defends her beliefs, even though they are wrong. It's not that she is stubborn. The thing is that she thinks carefully when it comes to make a decision or chose one side, so she is against changing her mind. It's not the right thing as she has the feeling that, if she does that, she'll be betraying herself.  
She, however, isn't as serious as she seems. She is unbiased when necessary and she has a soft spot for her three-year-old daughter, Megumi, to whom she shows a part of her that not many people have seen.

 **Occupation:** Personal trainer, talent scout

 **Team:** Karasuno High

 **Position:** Coach

 **Favorite food:** Chikara Udon

 **Goals:** Make them believe in their possibilities

 **Current concern:** Is she starting to get grey hair!? But she's only 36!

 **Statistics** (out of 5)  
Power: 3  
Jump: 2  
Stamina: 5  
Strategy: 3  
Technique: 4  
Speed: 3

* * *

 **See you next time!**


	26. Spread your wings

**A/N: Hello, everyone! Yes! I'm back! Finally! I'm so sorry for the late update, but I've been very busy these last two months. However, this story has many reads and its follows and favorites has increased, so thank you!**  
 **Btw, I've drawn Noa, Jiro and Nagisa. Yes, my drawing skills are terrible and I have to improve many things. But, if you want to know how I imagine them, you can check them out in my Tumblr account: putitonthesun. tumblr. com post/166602719869/so-im-terrible-at-drawing-but-theyre-three-of (There are some spaces, delete them and you'll have the link!)**  
 **Last chapter, Chizuko (and everyone) had found out that that her boyfriend was cheating on her and it was with Sawa Chiyoko, one of the wing spikers of Shiratorizawa. She ran away when the match was about to start and Jiro went after her. Will Jiro find her? Well, you'll find out quickly ;)**

 **Luna: Mmm... Probably, you forgot about Noa and Kuroo because I update this story from time to time. But yes, they met in Tokyo and Noa even has his contact mail! He promised her he would arrange a match against Nekoma girls' volleyball team. And, well, as you can see, I LOVE drama. I've enjoyed writing all this Chizuko and Jiro part so much and I hope you like it as well. On the other hand, It's not bad that you were surprised they won. Everyone in this story was, the players of Karasuno are! But I love watching sports and if I've learnt something, it's that the weakest can also win the strongest after working hard.**

 **jungkookies: Omg thanks so much for your review! As English is not my main lenguage, I'm making a huge effort, but I think it's good for me because I'm improving my writing and I'm gaining a lot of vocabulary. And don't worry, everyone ships Noa with someone. To be honest, this story is not about romance, but I wanted to drop some hints of possible relationships, althought I don't even know which could be the most suitable choice for Noa.**

 **And that's all!**

 **Enjoy your reading!**

 **I do not own Haikyuu or its characters**

* * *

 **CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE**  
Spread your wings

Jiro sighed hopelessly. He felt exhausted after having run through the sport facility. He looked around, but, amongst the people's faces, he didn't see Chizuko's. He whined and ran his hand through his short dark blue hair. How long had he been looking for her? He wasn't sure, but he did know that it was taking him more than expected.

From afar, he could hear the students of Shiratorizawa cheering and the sound of the sneakers against the wooden floor. The match had already started and he didn't know yet where the middle blocker was.

Chizuko ran away. She did it when she found out that her boyfriend was cheating on her for months without noticing. And, to top it all, she was supposed to play against the other girl in this entire love triangle. Jiro hadn't experienced something like that, but he could understand how Chizuko felt. He could understand her behavior. However, the team needed her.

He tried to calm down for a few seconds. Chizuko couldn't have gone too far. He thought about all the possibilities and he came to the conclusion that, maybe, he shouldn't look for her in the hallways, but in a less crowded place. And that place could be the girls' restrooms.

He took courage and opened the door of the first girls' restroom he found in the sport facility. During a few seconds, the girls who were inside were astonished, until they reacted.

"You pervert!" One of them yelled. Another one threw him a hairbrush that Jiro dodged on time. The manager looked around quickly and he finally decided that Chizuko wasn't there. He closed the door and ran as fast as he could until he turned around the corner, hoping nobody would believe that he was actually a pervert.

Once he collected himself, Jiro walked towards the opposite side of the sport facility. He was sure that right there there should be other restrooms.

In fact, he wasn't wrong. That part of the building seemed to be less crowded. He took a breath and opened the door of the girls' restrooms without hesitation. There were two girls inside. As soon as they noticed his presence, they frowned and opened their mouths, probably to insult him. But Jiro spoke first.

"I'm not a pervert! I'm searching for someone!"

He looked around, ignoring both girls' stares of disbelief. The manager then noticed that one of the toilettes had the door closed. There was someone inside.

"And I think I found that person", he smiled.

"Who the hell are you!?"

"Okay~. If you excuse me~" Jiro, who had been standing in the doorway, got inside the restrooms and closed the door. Both girls exchanged looks. Finally, the two of them left the restrooms, giving a death stare to Jiro, who grinned at them.

Once he was alone, Jiro approached the only toilette that had its door closed. He leaned against the door and tried to hear something. There was definitely someone inside.

"Chizuko-chan", he called, but he didn't get any answer. "Chizuko-chan, I know you are there". No one answered, at least, not immediately. "If you're not Chizuko-chan, please, tell me, because then I'm being a completely fool", he giggled nervously.

"Go away"

Jiro jumped a little bit. That was Chizuko's voice.

"I can't, Chizuko-chan"

On the other side of the door, Jiro heard the girl sniff. The manager smiled gently, even though Chizuko couldn't see him, and pressed the palm of his right hand against the door.

"Chizuko-chan", he followed, using a surprisingly soft voice, "the match has already started"

"I don't care about the match"

"I know that's not true. You care about the match. You care about the team. I've been watching you more than you think and I know that what you've just told me it's not true"

Both went silent. Chizuko didn't know what to answer.

"I've always think you are a very mature girl. You're like a woman surrounded by little girls", Jiro suddenly confessed. "So I've spent most of my time during practice watching you", he made a pause. "I don't want you to think that I'm a pervert or something like that. Not you. I would be really sad if you thought that way", he swallowed hard. "I've realized that you're special. You're so special that you even have three different types of smiling. Did you know that? The first one is when you feel uncomfortable, but you pretend that everything is fine. Your face tenses a lot. The second one is a shy smile. Your teeth are barely seen and your cheeks flush a little bit. And, lastly, there's the smile you show when you are with the team. It's a beautiful smile. A toothy smile. You seem to be glowing. You are relaxed. You are happy, Chizuko. That's my favorite by far. And that's why I know that you care about this match"

Chizuko was sitting on the toilette. Her eyes were fixed on the door, widening. She had stopped crying before Jiro had entered the restrooms, but she felt that her eyes were watering again.

"A-Are you telling me all this to make me feel better?" She mumbled, feeling a lump on her throat.

"I never speak if I not believe in what I'm saying, Chizuko-chan"

Chizuko was overwhelmed. Nobody had ever told her something like that, that she had three different ways to smile. And let alone a boy. Not even her boyfriend had told her something like that. _Her boyfriend_. Chizuko sighed heavily and covered her face with her hands. Everything should have been a nightmare.

"Listen to me, Chizuko-chan", Jiro followed. "Maybe you'll think I'm fooling you because you're now hurt, but I truly think that you're such a wonderful person. One of the best I've ever met. You are intelligent, kind and pretty. You're special. Honestly, I think you are. I see you that way. And I can assure you that, if that jerk has been incapable of realizing what a great person he had by his side, then that's because he doesn't deserve you, Chizuko-chan"

Chizuko swallowed hard. _What a cliché_ , she thought when Jiro finished his speech. However, the manager's words made her feel better, but she wasn't brave enough to tell him out loud.

She put her right hand on her chest, feeling her heart beating fast.

"You know what, Jiro-kun? Actually, I'm the worst"

Jiro's eyes widened. He wasn't surprise because Chizuko was speaking to him, but because that was the first time the middle blocker called him by his first name.

"I'm not as good as you think", she followed. "Actually, I'm a horrible person. You know why? Because I'm embarrassed, humiliated because of what have happened. And, however, I feel relieved too"

Tears started to roll down her cheeks. Jiro was listening to her, all his attention was on her, and Chizuko knew it.

"I'm relieved because I've freed myself from Takeshi-kun. Isn't that horrible? Maybe that's why we didn't see each other as much as before. Maybe that's why I didn't want him to kiss me or touch me. I wasn't hurt because he was seeing somebody else. What has hurt me the most is that all my friends had known about it"

Jiro pressed his lips in a thin line. He heard Chizuko sobbing for a few moments. What was he supposed to say to make her feel better? He clenched his teeth. He was useless!

"I was the one who confessed", Chizuko continued. "I confessed when we finished middle school, even though I knew we were going to different high schools. But I felt that I should do it to move on. And, surprisingly, he told me that he also liked me. And we started to date. I was so happy… He was my first kiss. But, a few months ago, I didn't feel the same way. I didn't want to admit it because I liked Takeshi-kun since school", Chizuko sighed. "I'm an idiot"

"Don't say you are an idiot, Chizuko-chan. At least, not in front of me. I won't allow it", Jiro frowned. "We all make mistakes. Now you might feel ashamed, but, you know what? My opinion about you hasn't changed and it's not going to change, not even a bit. What's more, I think that my opinion about you has improved, if that's possible. You're honest. I like you, Chizuko-chan. _A lot_ "

Jiro went silent. Chizuko didn't say anything.

The manager started to babbler. Maybe he had been too straightforward. He hadn't even been well aware, until he had finished pronouncing those words, of what he had actually said. Sometimes an idea crossed his mind and he spat it out without thinking carefully about it.

Suddenly, Chizuko opened the door. Their eyes met and both blushed.

"Uh", Jiro giggled nervously and rubbed the back of his head. "How silly I am, right?"

Chizuko cleared her throat. "I think… I think we should go back"

"Yes… Yes! You are right", Jiro snapped his fingers. He took Chizuko's hand and grabbed her out of the restrooms.

The middle blocker looked at him surprised. It was as if Jiro had completely changed and he didn't remember what he had just told her. And the worst part of it was that she felt hurt by that.

When they left the restrooms, Jiro guided her through the sport facility, but, when they turned around one of the corners, they saw a familiar face.

"Chizuko!"

Chizuko stopped immediately and Jiro was forced to do so as they were still holding hands. He then noticed it and his eyes widened. When did they start holding was? Did he take her hand first?

"I was worried about you. I've seen you weren't on the court"

Jiro stared at the boy who was standing a couple of meters away from them. He was tall, although not as much as Jiro. He had his hair shaved and sharp features. He was broad-shouldered and his arms were muscled. Jiro quickly realized that he had to be Chizuko's boyfriend.

"Don't get any closer", Chizuko muttered.

"W-What?" The boy seemed confused, but, then, his gaze travelled towards Chizuko and Jiro's hands. The middle blocker then released the manager's hand. "W-What's the meaning of this?" If her boyfriend seemed at first worried for her, that feeling was substituted by anger. "Who is he?"

"It's not what you think", Chizuko explained.

"Then, why my grilfriend, instead of playing with her team, is holding hands with a boy in the hallways of the gym!?"

"Hey, calm down", Jiro said. Chizuko's boyfriend was raising his voice more than necessary and some people were staring at them curiously.

"Don't tell me to calm down or I'll swear I'll punch you!"

"Please, Takeshi-kun, stop", Chizuko insisted.

The boy gave Chizuko a death stare and then he grimaced. "You are a b-"

Jiro stepped forward to stop him from saying whatever insult he was going to pronounce. However, the middle blocker was faster than Jiro and she slapped her boyfriend.

"You, amongst all people, are the least right person to judge me", Chizuko's voice trembled and she clenched her teeth. Jiro looked at her, astonished. It was the first time he saw Chizuko mad at something or someone. "So don't play the role of being the hurt one in this story because I'm here with Jiro-kun when you've been hooking up with other girl".

The boy's eyes widened and his face paled. "Chizuko…"

"For how long have you been cheating…" Chizuko made a pause and then she clicked her tongue in annoyance. "No. It's better if you don't tell me. I prefer not to know"

"Chizuko, I can explain"

"Let's go, Jiro-kun"

Chizuko looked over her shoulder to look at Jiro as she started to walk, so the manager followed her. Chizuko's boyfriend turned around to stare at them. Jiro smirked when he walked past him and winked at him, making the boy's face turned red because of anger.

"You've been fantastic, Chizuko-chan~!" Jiro approached her hopping like a little boy.

"Shut up"

"Okay~" He chirped happily. He wasn't going to insist on the topic after seeing her angry. She was scary. But, despite that, he was still thinking that the second-year was truly fantastic.

"Oh… We are losing", Chizuko moaned when they peeked their heads trough the entrance door to the court. Karasuno was being beaten by Shiratorizawa in the first set.

 **...**

"Sorry. Cover!" Yui yelled

The ball flew off. Yoshino tried to set the ball up for Noriko, but the Ace's spike wasn't accurate and it was blocked. However, before touching the floor, Mayu managed to prevent it.

Ayako stepped backwards so the ball could land perfectly on the tips of her fingers. Noa ran to get away from the defense of Shiratorizawa. She grinned. She succeeded in misleading them, so all their attention was on Noriko. The odds were on her side, so she could get one point to Karasuno. The path was clear. However, Ayako didn't send the ball to her, but to Noriko. The Ace didn't expect the pass and she spiked the best she could. Her shot was blocked. Mayu dived, but she couldn't reach the ball.

Shiratorizawa had won the first set.

"You should have passed the ball to me! You've done it on purpose!" Noa barked, turning towards Ayako.

"I'm your senpai. You should be more respectful!" Ayako spat.

"Don't fool me! During all the first set you've been pissing me off! You haven't toss to me unless it was unavoidable!"

"Well, you might be small, but what a huge ego you have!" Ayako put her hands on her hips and smirked mockingly. "I'm the setter and I have the power to decide who I should toss to. I know better than anyone who has more chances to score. And you hadn't"

"In the last play Noriko-san has been a decoy so I could spike freely! And you know that! You're being so immature!"

"Me!?" Ayako laughed. "I wasn't the one who has put volleyball in the first place instead of a friend's feelings!"

"That's not true!" Noa was furious. Why did Ayako dare to say those kinds of things about her?

"Stop! This is not fine!" Yui stepped between them. "I don't think Ayako-san did it on purpose, Noa-san"

"Yeah. Sure", Noa clicked her tongue. She turned around. He didn't feel like arguing. The first-year ignored Mayu's concerned look and approached the bench, where she took a bottle to drink some water.

"Oh my my~", Akabayashi Ai smirked, witnessing the entire ruckus in Karasuno.

"I love breaking apart stupid people's dreams like theirs", Sawa Chiyoko added, winking at Yoshino, who was now frowning at both girls, not approving at all their behavior.

Hatsue looked at her players critically. She had her hands on her hips and her lips pressed in a thin line. She needed to tell them something, but she was so disappointed and mad at them that she didn't know how to start. All work they had done was being throwing away because of a boy.

"We are here!"

Everyone turned around. Jiro waved at them. Chizuko was with him.

"Chizuko-san", Mayu and Noa smiled relieved.

The libero approached the middle blocker, but she looked daggers at her, so Mayu stopped immediately.

"We didn't want to-"

"I don't want to know anything about you. I don't want to listen to you", Chizuko cut Noa off. "I've just come because Jiro-kun asked me", she added, this time speaking to the coach. Her teammates exchanged worried looks.

Hatsue frowned. "Where have you been?" Chizuko kept silent. "Where have you been!?"

"I don't think that's important right now, Mori-san", Jiro stepped forward, trying to come between the two of them. "What is important is that Chizuko-chan is here"

"You know you are a regular player", Hatsue blurt out. "We had to reorganize the team in our most important match. Do you understand what that means!?" Chizuko nodded. "I don't care if your boyfriend has been cheating on you and everyone but you knew about it. Your teammates have worked hard to be here. _You_ have worked hard to be here. It's important to learn how to separate personal life and work life, although you don't get any money in return"

Hatsue stared at them, trying to read their face expressions, especially Chizuko's. She could understand better than anyone how Chizuko was feeling and she was also well aware that, at her age, that seemed to be the end of the world.

"I hope this is the first and the last time that any of you is willing to waste an opportunity like this for a boy", Hatsue added, trying to soften her previous words. "You shouldn't let yourself be influenced by anyone, let alone a man"

Then, the whistle blew, so the second set was about to start. Hatsue approached the referees' table and she asked for a substitution. Yoshino was out and Chizuko was in.

 **2nd set**

SHIRATORIZAWA ACADEMY

Nakata (WS-3rd year) | Tamura (MB-3rd year)/ Okada (L-3rd year) | Oshima (S-3rd year)

Akabayashi (WS-3rd year) | Fukaeri (MB-2nd year) | Sawa (WS-2nd year)

NET

KARASUNO HIGH

Harada (S-2nd year) | Oka (MB-2nd year) | Furihata (WS-1st year)

Nagano (WS-3rd year) | Harada (MB-2nd year)/ Shiraiwa (L-2nd year) | Michimiya (WS-3rd year)

The set was starting with Yui serving.

The ball was easily controlled by Okada. Oshima, the setter, set up the ball parallel to the net. Akabayashi, Fukaeri and Sawa moved, each of them towards a different position. The blockers of Karasuno tried to read the play. However, Shiratorizawa surprised them. Nakata spiked from the back zone. The speed of the ball was so fast that Mayu fell on her butt when trying to receive it.

 **1-0**

The crowd cheered.

"They're amazing!"

"It's awesome how powerful and accurate their spikes are!"

"This match is going to end soon"

Hatsue clicked her tongue in annoyance. "Sawa and Akabayashi aren't the only ones who have good shots. It's incredible how powerful everyone's shots in Shiratorizawa are"

Yoshino glanced at her coach and pressed her lips in a thin line. She was hoping that Chizuko's return worked and that the team could function as it should.

Akabayashi was serving. Fortunately, the captain of Shiratorizawa had good spikes, but her jump serves weren't as powerful.

Her serve was received by Yui. Ayako tossed quickly for Chizuko, but the two-block stopped the spike. Noa stretched her arm, but she didn't reach it and it bounced on the floor.

 **2-0**

"You have the guts to show up after all", Sawa Chiyoko grinned mischievously. "Have you already whined enough?" The wing spiker faked a pout and, then, she chortled. Oshima and Fukaeri laughed with her.

"Oi, you…" Ayako clenched her teeth.

"Sorry. I've barely warmed up", Chizuko apologized, turning Sawa away and pretending that she didn't care.

Akabayashi served once again. Mayu received the ball. This time, the setter tossed it for Noriko, who was coming from the back zone. However, the spike was blocked by Fukaeri and Sawa.

 **3-0**

"YEEEEEEES!"

"It's fine!" Yui yelled. "We'll get back that point!"

Akabayashi served again. The ball was controlled again by Mayu, who sent it to Ayako. The setter repeated the previous action and tossed it for Noriko, who scored this time.

 **3-1**

It was Noa's turn to serve. She took the ball with both hands and breathed out.

During the first set, she had managed to score some points at the beginning, but, at the end, Shiratorizawa had got used to her cross spikes. The coach had asked for a time-out and Noa had been honest: she didn't know how to do straights when facing a block like that. After confessing her insecurities, her teammates didn't seem disappointed. However, Noa realized when she saw her coach's expression on her face that she didn't like that at all, that she was mad at her for some reason.

"We'll restrict your spikes then. If you aren't sure of your cross spike, you can always use a rebound and the team would try another attack. Besides, you'll have to go all out for your jump serves"

That was what Hatsue had told her. However, the worst part of it was that her coach's words were putting much more pressure on her because she couldn't control the strength of her serves in the first place.

She bit her bottom lip. If she wasn't capable of doing something fruitful for the team, then she was good for nothing.

Noa swallowed hard. She thought she was good at volleyball. She thought she was _really_ good. But since she had joined Karasuno, she felt clumsy, powerless and small. She had lost all confidence in herself. Why was that?

"Noa-san", Yui called her.

Noa realized that she had spent too much time thinking. Her time to serve was running out.

She closed her eyes and sighed, trying to ignore the negative thoughts. She tossed the ball and took two steps forward and hit the ball as hard as she could.

"Out!" Nakata yelled when she saw the ball flying over the net. However, when it landed, it did it on the back line. Or, at least, that was what the referee pointed out. It was a point for Karasuno.

 **3-2**

"Sorry!" The third-year wing spiker apologized.

"Great, Furi-chan! Great!" Jiro clapped his hands.

Noa was prepared to serve again. The previous one wasn't as powerful as in other cases.

She followed the same ritual, but, this time, she held her breath while hitting the ball with her right hand as hard as she could. She aimed for the back line again.

The ball was moving at lighting speed, what made Nakata hesitate once again. It was too powerfull. Maybe this time the ball was out, but she preferred not to risk losing other point, so she dug. The ball flew out. Oshima had to move. However, the erratic path of the ball didn't let her connect well and, although Sawa spiked well, Mayu managed to receive it. Ayako tossed the ball for Noriko, whose spike landed next to the line.

 **3-3**

"YEEEEEES!"

"Nice kill, Noriko-san!" Mayu patted her senpai's back, who smiled.

"It seems we are in a different mood in the second set", Hatsue said out loud, even though she was talking to herself. "I wonder how long will they keep up"

"Maybe we should have told them", Jiro replied, glancing at the coach.

"No. It's better that way. To tell them the truth would have made them more nervous"

On one hand, Jiro could understand the motives behind Mori Hatsue's decision, but, on the other hand, he thought that telling the girls the truth about that match could have increase their motivation. Their goal of reaching Nationals was more possible than they could even imagine. If they lost and they found out the truth, Jiro was sure that they would feel devastated. Hatsue was too bold sometimes and she played with her players' emotions. However, Jiro preferred not to judge the woman. She had been a professional player after all, even though she played a completely different sport like water polo.

On the other hand, the girls found frustrating facing a team like Shiratorizawa. All of them knew that it was a powerful house, that it was better than them, but what bothered them the most was their continuous taunting. That condescending way of looking at them, the grins, the hurtful remarks… Shiratorizawa was doing all that trying to undermine them. They succeeded in doing so during the first set and, during the second set, it was still influencing Karasuno, despite they were trying to ignore them.

In the stands, Nagisa was the first one to notice that. He didn't know what could have happened once they separated ways, but something wasn't right in Karasuno. He noticed as well Oka-san's absence during the first set.

The vice-president of the Student Council sighed and ran a hand through his peach blond hair. He was feeling a little bit impatient. He didn't stop checking his watch.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" His sister demanded. "You are making me more nervous that I already am! Why are you checking the time every two seconds!?"

"I'm waiting for someone"

"Who?" Aimi stared at her little brother curiously, who seemed to be searching for something or someone in the stands.

"Ah. There she is"

Aimi turned around to spot a tall girl walking towards them. Her arms and legs were long –probably the longest she had ever seen– and she had a thin non-curvy body. She had her brown hair tidied in a braid. Her brother waved at the girl and she approached them shyly. She was carrying a rolled big black blue piece of fabric.

"S-Sorry I'm late", she blushed. "I… Well… I… I didn't know if… If I should have come. I didn't know if that was right"

Aimi looked at her from top to bottom. How old was she? Given her height, the girl was intimidating, but her personality told otherwise about her. Aimi found her even too shy for her liking.

"It doesn't matter, Kurumizawa-san. At least, you've come", Nagisa replied simply, so Aimi rolled her eyes. Why did her brother have to be so bold sometimes? Smiling to a girl from time to time wasn't that difficult.

"I'm Watamabe Aimi", she introduced herself, toothy smiling.

"A-Ah", the girl flushed. Was she Wanatabe Nagisa's sister!? She was so beautiful that she was feeling overwhelmed just by being by her side. "I-I'm Kurumizawa Tomone. Nice to meet you!" Tomone bowed.

"You don't have to be so formal", Aimi giggled. "Have you come to cheer for the girls?"

"Y-Yes" I want to support Furihata-san!"

"Furihata-san? Oh! You mean Noa-san"

"Y-Yeah! Well…" Tomone blushed and she fiddled with her fingers, a bit uncomfortable. She normally didn't speak to someone that much. "I want to support her and the rest of her teammates", she added, lowering the tone of her voice.

"That's nice!" Aimi smiled. "I'm sure they will appreciate that!" Her eyes travelled towards the big rolled fabric Tomone was still carrying. "So, tell me, Tomone-san, what is that?"

"Ah! This… I…"

"It's a surprise for the team", Nagisa spoke as he noticed that Kurimizawa wasn't capable of saying more than two words without stuttering. "Shall we prepare it, Kurimizawa-san?"

Tomone nodded eagerly.

Meanwhile, Mori Hatsue asked for a time-out. They managed to improve their performance, but they weren't still playing at their full potential.

"They are more skilled than you. I know you know better than anyone. But you can win. You have to believe in it and start to work as a team"

"It's difficult to stop their attack, especially when we have an idiot who doesn't know how to do straights", Ayako mentioned.

"Oi!" Noa frowned. "It's not my fault!"

"Jiro-kun is always talking about how great you are, but the truth is that you don't know how to do anything! You don't know how to control the strength of your jump serves, you're not good at receiving, you don't know how to do straights… Tell me, because I really want to know, are you good at something?"

"Harada-san", Hatsue narrowed her eyes.

"Excuse me, coach, but she arrived to Karasuno like she was some kind of savior and it turned out that the powerful American girl Noa McCormack doesn't know how to do anything"

"Could you please stop attacking Noa-san?" Mayu warned the setter.

"And could you please stop standing up for her?"

"Have you finished yet?" Everyone turned around. Chizuko deadpanned. "Because I think that what happened before, in the hallway, has nothing to do with you. Stop arguing. You're are creating an uncomfortable situation for everyone"

"Chizuko-san, if you'd let us ex"

"There's nothing to explain, Mayu-san", the middle blocker cut her off.

"One, two and… Three!"

Their argument stopped when Nagisa's voice reached their ears. The boy and his sister were sitting in the stands, behind the bench of Karasuno. But they weren't alone now; there was a girl with them.

"Tomone?" Noa whispered.

Both were carrying a huge black blue banner. It had drawn a pair of white wings and in the middle it was written 'Spread you wings' in a clear and beautiful calligraphy.

Everyone's eyes widened. It was a banner made only for them.

Hatsue crossed her arms and smiled, proud of seeing her players' expressions. Their eyes were sparkling with awe. She was certain that gesture would provide them the motivation they needed.

The whistle warned them that the time-out was over.

"Alright, everyone", Yui stretched her hand and everyone followed her, forming a circle. "Karasuno…. Fight!"

"OOOOSSS!"

Jiro sighed while everyone returned to their positions.

"At the end, we haven't discussed anything about the strategy due to the argument", he scratched his head. "How complicated teenage girls are…"

"What are you talking about?" Hatsue pushed him playfully. "You're the first complicated teenage boy"

"Oi!" Jiro laughed.

"But don't worry. I'm sure all is good now", she smiled, staring at her players.

 **17-16**

SHIRATORIZAWA ACADEMY

Sawa (WS-2nd year) | Fukaeri (MB-2nd year) | Akabayashi (WS-3rd year)

Oshima (S-3rd year) | Tamura (MB-3rd year) | Nakata (WS-3rd year)

NET

KARASUNO HIGH

Michimiya (WS-3rd year) | Harada (MB-2nd year) | Nagano (WS-3rd year)

Furihata (WS-1st year) | Oka (MB-2nd year) | Harada (S-2rd year)

Karasuno had the ball, so Ayako served.

Chizuko set her eyes in the front, looking over and above the net. She had the odd feeling that everything she was living was a dream. Why was she there in the first place? Why did she have to put up with Shiratorizawa players' taunt? With their mocking grins? With the way they looked at her, as if she was inferior? The thing was that, instead of making her feel worse, Chizuko was feeling angrier and angrier. She couldn't let those terrible people win the match. It wouldn't be fair.

So, why was she there? Why had the coach decided that she was better than Yoshino? They already had a regular setter, Ayako, but Yoshino could play in other positions, she was a third-year and, therefore, she was much more experienced. She, however, was small for being a middle blocker and she didn't stand out in blocking or attacking. What did she have that Yoshino hadn't?

Sawa received easily Ayako's serve. The ball flew towards Oshima, the setter of Shiratorizawa. The third-year jumped a little bit and she set middle for Tamura. Noriko didn't manage to block, but Chizuko changed her position and received the spike easily.

The middle blocker suddenly felt a shiver running down her spine. Did she know that Oshima was going to set middle? _Ah_. Of course she knew… It was that little jump Oshima had done.

Ayako tossed the ball for Noa. The first-year was coming from the back zone and she did a cross-spike that went past the barrier of Shiratorizawa.

"Out!" Akabayashi yelled, stepping sideways. The referee only confirmed that she was right.

 **18-16**

"Shit!" Jiro covered his face with his hands. "That was close!"

"It's fine, Noa-san!" Aimi encouraged her from the stands. "Next one! Next one!"

Noa looked up. Watanabe Aimi waved her hands enthusiastically. Tomone was shy next to her, but she gave Noa a thumbs-up to encourage her given that she was incapable of raising her voice like Nagisa's older sister did. The boy, however, was as stoic as ever, but his eyes travelled towards the banner which was hanging from the railing of the stands. Noa read it again. She smiled and nodded to Nagisa. And he nodded back.

"You've heard it!" Yui yelled. "It's fine, Noa-san! You haven't scored this time, but the ball has finally gone through their block. Your next spikes will do it as well"

Noa nodded. Her cross-spikes were being stopped since the first set. That shot was the first one which had managed to go through the blockers of Shiratorizawa since then. Although it was out, Noa preferred to think positively.

They couldn't let Shiratorizawa score more points or it would be difficult to catch up with them, like in the first set. Chizuko's arrival had eased the mood a little bit, but everyone felt that pieces didn't work like in the beginning. The second-year middle blocker still seemed to be somewhere else.

However, Chizuko was actually watching. Was she the only one who had noticed that the setter of Shiratorizawa had many tendencies? They were obvious! Was she doing it on purpose? Chizuko hummed. She only needed to try. She had to wait and be in the front line. Everything would be easier.

"Ayaka-san", Chizuko approached the middle blocker to whisper something to her. "When you serve, don't aim for their setter"

"Don't aim for their setter?" Ayaka repeated. The second-year blinked confused.

"Yes. She has to toss the ball. And look out for my gestures. When I put my hand on my back, that means you should move towards the middle, so wait there to receive"

Ayaka nodded eagerly, without asking anything else. Chizuko seemed pretty sure of what she was saying.

After getting back the serve, it was Ayaka's turn. The middle blocker aimed for the opposite end of the court. The ball flew smoothly and it was received by Tamura. Oshima, the setter, got ready to toss it. She had a tell when going to set outside and Chizuko had previously noticed that. Her quirks were obvious.

The ball flew towards Sawa, who came from the back zone to spike. Chizuko ran towards the opposite side and jumped as high as she could. The wing spiker's shot hit her left hand. Chizuko clenched her teeth, trying to keep a firm block. The ball landed with a thump in the side of the court of Shiratorizawa.

 **20-19**

"Awesome, Chizuko-chan!" Jiro beamed, standing up.

"How could she block that?" Aimi's jaw dropped. "She's much smaller than the players of Shiratorizawa. Besides, she was in the opposite side of the court. How did she know that the setter was going to toss for the number 9?"

"Well, I think in volleyball height is important", Nagisa hummed. "But ability and observation sometimes win height"

"A quirk, a tendency", Tomone spoke. Aimi and Nagisa turned to stare at her and the first-year blushed when she realized that she had spoken out loud. "Ah… I… I-I'ts not that I know about volleyball, but I think that the number 5 of Karasuno… Oka-san, I think she is?" Nagisa nodded. "I-I think Oka-san has seen that. When the setter is going to toss, she follows a procedure based on where or to who she is going to set the ball up"

"You're awesome, Tomone-san!" Aimi patted her back, making the first-year blush even more. "You are shy, but you should speak more. You are so cute~, right, Nagisa?"

Nagisa shrieked and sighed. His sister would never change.

Meanwhile, Sawa Chiyoko gazed at Chizuko, but Chizuko didn't let her speak as she returned to her position quickly.

Ayako served again. The ball was received this time by Nakata, so Oshima had to move to set the ball up. The setter gave a little jump and Chizuko couldn't help but smirk. She was setting middle.

Oshima indeed set the ball for Akabayashi. The Ace of Shiratorizawa slammed the ball and it went through Chizuko and Noa's block. However, Ayaka was waiting in the back zone, just like Chizuko had warned her before. The middle blocker raised the ball in the air. Ayako moved and she tossed for Noriko, who spike.

 **20-20**

"YEEEEEEESSSS!" Everyone yelled at the same time

"They managed to even the score!"

"And they seemed completely defeated in the first set!"

"It's thanks to their number 5!"

Ayako served again. Tamura received, but, this time, Oshima didn't toss. Sawa slammed the ball using all her might. The shot crossed the court and landed with a thud. The players of Karasuno couldn't move by the sudden response.

The crowd cheered with awe.

"What a response!"

"Well, what can you expect from one of the best wing spikers in the prefecture?"

Sawa looked at them defiantly, but Yui and the rest of the team frowned. They weren't going to fall for it. Not again.

"How cocky you are~" Akabayashi giggled.

"It's necessary to remember them from time to time why they are inferior to us"

 **21-20**

SHIRATORIZAWA ACADEMY

Nakata (WS-3rd year) | Tamura (MB-3rd year) | Oshima (S-3rd year)

Akabayashi (WS-3rd year) | Fukaeri (MB-2nd year) | Sawa (WS-2nd year)

NET

KARASUNO HIGH

Oka (MB-2nd year) | Furihata (WS-1st year) | Michimiya (WS 3rd year)

Harada (S-2nd year) | Nagano (WS-3rd year) | Harada (MB-2nd year)

Even though the shots of Shiratorizawa had become more aggressive, Karasuno could keep up with the score. Their rivals were starting to make mistakes due to the rush as they wanted to end the match as soon as possible. Nevertheless, Karasuno knew that, thanks to the fact that Shiratorizawa was looking down on them, they had a chance to even the score again and win the second set.

 **27-26**

SHIRATORIZAWA ACADEMY

Oshima (S-3rd year) | Sawa (WS-2nd year) | Fukaeri (MB-2nd year)

Tamura (MB-3rd year) | Nakata (WS-3rd year) | Akabayashi (WS-3rd year)

NET

KARASUNO HIGH

Michimiya (WS-3rd year) | Harada (MB-2nd year) | Nagano (WS-3rd year)

Furihata (WS-1st year) | Oka (MB-2nd year) | Harada (S-2nd year)

Shiratorizawa was serving. It was Oshima's turn. Chizuko easily received it. Ayako set it up quickly for Noa, who was coming from the back line. The block of Shiratorizawa was firm, so Noa tried to adjust the shot to the left. She tried not to do a cross-spike, knowing that if she failed, the match would end.

Noa spiked, so the ball would land next or on the line. But her shot was more off than she pretended and it bounced outside the court. The supporters of Shiratorizawa cheered, but their voices went off when the referee pointed out that it was a point for Karasuno.

"What!?"

"Apparently, one of the blockers has touched the ball a little bit"

 **27-27**

"I think I'm going to have a heart attack", Jiro put his hand on his chest and swallowed hard. "I can't help it. My heart is weak"

Hatsue chuckled and she patted his back. "Don't miss this, Aoyama-kun, because the best is about to come"

Noa clenched her fists. That was mere luck. They could have lost because of her.

"Don't worry, Noa-san", Yui encouraged her as she could read her mind. "It was a point for us. That's the only thing that matters"

"But don't try new things in a moment like that", Noriko punched her in the arm, what made Noa giggle.

"Come on!" The coach of Shiratorizawa encouraged his players from the bench. "That was luck! This match is already yours!"

Mori Hatsue glanced at him and crossed her arms over her chest. "What a pitiful man", she murmured to herself.

Ayako, who had heard him as well, frowned and turned towards her teammates. "Listen", everyone stared at her confused, "I'm going to use my Eagle Eye"

"Now? Why?" Her sister asked.

"You'll get tired!" Yui looked at her concerned. All of them remembered what had happened against Kinga. Ayako didn't control her ability yet.

"It doesn't matter. I want to finish this set and shut those idiots up", the girl returned to her position. "We are going to win this set. I'll guide you"

Everyone nodded eagerly, absorbing all confidence the setter was giving.

Noriko's jump serve flew over the net. Sawa received, but the ball flew out a little bit towards the front. Oshima set it up quickly, jumping a little bit. Chizuko blamed herself for not having told her teammates that little jump meant that the ball was going towards the middle. However, Yui and Noa stopped Nakata's shot with their block.

Before the ball landed on the court, Tamura stretched her arm and she lifted the ball up in the air. The girl lost her balance and fell on her butt.

Oshima tossed the ball to her left and Akabayashi spiked.

"No!" Chizuko warned Ayako, so she wouldn't dive. Instead of the setter, Chizuko dived and, then, Ayako ran to place herself under the ball, having her back to the rest of her team, so she couldn't she where they were.

Or, at least, that's what Shiratorizawa thought.

"What the hell?" They muttered as they saw the setter's odd positioning. She couldn't see her teammates. However, Shiratorizawa might not know, but Ayako knew perfectly where everyone was. Maybe her Eagle Eye made her feel exhausted in a few minutes, but she could have an advantage if she knew where everyone was and what they were going to do next.

The blockers of Shiratorizawa moved towards their left as all possible hitters were in that side. But, when they realized what Ayako was going to do, it was already too late.

She did a feint.

 **27-28**

"Awesome!" Aimi yelled. "Let's go, Karasuno!"

"How brave", Nagisa hummed.

"They only need one more point", Jiro bit his lip. It was the first time in the match that they were winning in the score.

"Go for a nice serve, Noriko-san!" Ayako yelled, going back to her position. The girl seemed focused, so her teammates didn't dare say her anything about the feint. It was a very risky move, but she did also promise them that they would end that set as soon as possible. She was going to keep her word.

Noriko jump served. The ball flew towards Tamura, who received. The setter set it up for Sawa, who was asking for the ball running from the back line.

 _Shit_ , everyone in Karasuno thought. They weren't well placed and Sawa had spiked jumping from the back zone. Their block was going to be useless.

Ayaka, Yui and Noa, still in the air after jumping, stared over their shoulders to look back. They saw how Ayako, instead of trying to receive that powerful spike, stepped aside.

The ball bounced off the court.

 **27-29**

Everyone in the gym remained silent for a few seconds until the crowd burst out in cheers.

"They won the second set!"

"YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEES!" The players of Karasuno clenched their fists.

"They won the set!" Aimi hopped and hugged her little brother.

"Stop…"

"How can you be so boring?" His sister huffed and hit him the arm. "Now they'll win the third one! I'm sure of it!" Aimi turned to talk to Tomone this time, who nodded shyly. "You'll see, Tomone-san. Your banner has given them the strength they needed"

Tomone's eyes sparkled. She truly hoped that.

* * *

 **And we are going for the third set!**

 **But, before that, I will continue with the character profiles. It's the time to know better one of the rivals of Karasuno :)**

* * *

 **CHARACTER PROFINE**  
SAWA CHIYOKO

 **Complete name:** Sawa Chiyoko

 **Date of birth:** December 6th

 **Age:** 16

 **Height:** 178.09 cm

 **Weight:** 67 kg

 **Appearance:** Chiyoko is an attractive girl with long, light blonde hair and blue eyes. She has a petite, girlish figure and is one of the tallest members in Shiratorizawa. She usually wears her hair in a long ponytail tied high in back, while leaving a long lock of hair on either side of her face and her bangs falling casually from right to left across her forehead. She wears her ears pierced with two identical pairs of hoop earrings on each earlobe and an additional two cuff studs worn vertically on her right ear, above the others.

 **Personality:** Chiyoko insults and even bullies other people. She views her bitchy behavior as honesty. She seems to find no issue flaunting her spot on the social ladder that is High School or to be promiscuous to remain on top. Chiyoko is also known to be manipulative and persuasive. She tries to get what she wants through scheming, always making plans that would have results in her favor, but most times it backfires. Besides, Chiyoko gets incredibly hostile when her weaknesses are exposed.

 **Occupation:** High school student (2nd year, Class 4)

 **Team:** Shiratorizawa Academy

 **Position:** Wing spiker

 **Favorite food:** Dim sum

 **Goals:** To go to Nationals

 **Current concern:** How can she be so chill!? Her boyfriend was cheating on her!

 **Statistics** (out of 5)  
Power: 4  
Jump: 4  
Stamina: 3  
Strategy: 2  
Technique: 3  
Speed: 4

* * *

 **Next chapter: The Ace of Karasuno**

 **~ See you next time!**


	27. The Ace of Karasuno

**A/N: Hello everyone! Yes, I'm back! Finally! Thanks to everyone who followed and favorited this story during the last weeks.  
Last chapter, Karasuno had managed to win the second set, so they have to play the last set against Shiratorizawa. Chizuko noticed very obvious tendencies in Oshima, the setter, so Karasuno might have a huge advantage this time.  
**

 **jungkookies: Yes! I'm updating! Not as fast as before, but at least you have a new chapter.**

 **Luna: hahaha omg I love all your reviews. Yes, Ayako needs to chill, and so does Noa. I mean, she's trying hard, maybe too hard, that's why she's not succeeding as she wants. She's putting so much pressure to herself, so she can't relax and be herself while playing and, if that doesn't change, she'll end up hating volleyball and I don't think none of us wants that ;)**

 **PhantomSeekerz255: Awwww You're the fisrt one who noticed that there's something going on between Chizuko and Jiro and let's be honest I love them as a couple, so that's why in the following chapters I'll be focusing more on their relationship. Regarding Tsukishima and Noa... Well, I don't know what to do. Some readers ship Noa with Asahi, others with Tsukki, others with Kageyama... I've said many times that this fanfic is mostly about friendship, but I'm going to drop some hints about love relationships. When I started this fanfic, I had already planned a certain someone to be Noa's love interest, but, right now, I don't what to do anymore.**

 **Enjoy your reading!**

 **I do not own Haikyuu or its characters**

* * *

 **CHAPTER TWENTY SIX**  
The Ace of Karasuno

They were filled by an overwhelming sensation of happiness when Sawa Chiyoko was forced to make a mistake. The ball bounced outside the court, so Karasuno ended up winning the second set.

"You!"

They were approaching the bench when the second-year wing spiker walked towards Chizuko.

"Don't you have any dignity!?"

"Excuse me?" Chizuko raised an eyebrow. The rest of the team stopped to stare at both girls.

"You've listened to me perfectly! You don't have any dignity!" Chiyoko looked at her. Her eyes showed how much she despised the middle blocker of Karasuno. "Your boyfriend has been cheating on you and you are acting as if nothing has happened! You are disgusting. I'm sure you weren't even in love with him. You were using Takeshi-kun!"

"Oi! Watch your mouth!" Ayako stepped forward, but Chizuko raised her hand to make the setter stop.

"You should be destroyed", Chiyoko followed. "You are pathetic. You don't have any pride!"

"The only one who is being pathetic right now is you", Chizuko frowned. She had enough. She was still feeling terrible with herself, she still wanted to go home and hide from everyone. But Hatsue was right. She couldn't let a boy ruin all her hard work. And, besides, she had Jiro on her side. She couldn't be afraid of anything.

"What were you expecting? Did you want to weaken our team? Really? Making out with one of your rivals' boyfriend?" Chizuko crossed her arms and smirked. "How mature you are! What is pathetic is the fact that you have to use those dirty tricks to win a match. But you've been very close to achieve your goal. _Very_ close. However, I'm glad I'm now here, because I can see the tantrum your failing provekes you", Chizuko made a pause. "So don't talk to me about dignity or pride when you, in the first place, don't even know what those words mean"

Chizuko turned around to join the rest of her teammates.

Noa glanced at her very surprised because she had never seen Chizuko acting like that. Chizuko was so shy and quiet all the time that Noa couldn't have imagined her senpai behaving like that. The libero, on the other hand, giggled when she saw Noa's expression on her face. Mayu had told her that the second-year middle blocker was shy, but could stand up for herself. However, Noa couldn't have imagined it until that moment.

"Don't turn your back on me! I'm not finished!" Chiyoko yelled.

"Sawa!" The coach of Shiratozawa called her. He was frowning. "You should be interested in what's happening here, in our bench, not in Karasuno's"

The girl bit her bottom lip. She groaned and, finally, she turned on her heels to go back to the bench of Shiratorizawa.

"Are you okay?" Yui asked Chizuko. The middle blocker nodded briefly, but not paying much attention to the captain, who blinked confused.

"Well… After finishing this episode of a cheap soap opera…", the coach ran her hand through her hair tied in a low ponytail, "we can focus now on what is trully important. And I have to congratulate you because in this set you've started to play more like the team I want you to be", Hatsue looked at Ayako. "How are you feeling after using your Eagle Eye?"

"I've used it for a short period of time. I'm fine"

"Okay", Hatsue nodded. "I don't have much more to tell you. Forget your quarrels for the time being and we'll talk about all this when the match is finished, alright?"

"Mori-san, can I say something?"

Everyone set their eyes on Chizuko.

"Go on"

"They are better than us"

"I don't think that will help, you know?" Ayaka raised an eyebrow.

"Let me finish", Chizuko sighed. "They are better than us, but we can win. Have you paid attention to their setter?"

"The number 6? Oshima?"

Chizuko nodded to answer Yoshino's question. "Yes. I've noticed that she has many quirks when it comes to tossing the ball. Pay attention to what I'm going to explain, because I'm going to tell you all of them"

Everyone gathered in a circle around the middle blocker. Chizuko explained them that when Oshima was going to set middle, she jumped a little bit or that she had also a tell when she was going to set left.

"That's good", Yui smiled. "If we know where she is going to send the ball, it will be much easier to defend their hitters' powerful attacks"

"Our Chizuko-chan as amazing as always!" Jiro chirped happily. Both exchanged looks and smiled.

When the whistle blew, the third set was about to start. Everyone placed their hands in the middle forming a circle.

"Karasuno… Fight!" Yui yelled.

"OSSSSS!" The rest of the team replied and, then, they went to their positions.

"Ahh…" Aimi bit her bottom lip. "I hope they'll do fine in this set"

"Probably", Nagisa hummed. "It seems that Oka-san has spoken to them. I guess Kurumizawa-san was right", he glanced at Tomone, who blushed. "If Oka-san has noticed some tendencies in the setter of Shiratorizawa, it will be much easier for Karasuno to read their moves and they'll be able to predict the hitters' shots"

"Well, but I'm still concern about them", Aimi frowned.

"What do you mean?" Her brother raised an eyebrow.

"Have you seen that girl in Shiratorizawa? The number 9? Why has she spoken to Chizuko-san like that?"

"Do you mean Sawa Chiyoko?" Nagisa hummed. "Something must have happened when we have left. I'm sure she has been responsible for Oka-san's absence during the first set"

"Yes, but it's not just that", Aimi clicked her tongue. She didn't know how to explain it, but there was something she didn't like about her.

"I think..." Tomone blabbered. "I think I know what you mean, Watanabe-san…" The siblings turned to look at the first-year, who shrieked, feeling a bit uncomfortable for being the center of attention. "It seems that player of Shiratorizawa, its number 9, is anxious over something. She is very aggressive"

"Do you think she could do something stupid?" Aimi asked.

"I highly doubt it", Nagisa replied. "If she does it, she and her team would be affected", he made a pause. "Anyway, it seems that whatever has happened between her and Oka-san has deeply affected her. That can be beneficial for us because she's making a lot of mistakes, and, therefore, Shiratorizawa is going to lose many points in this set"

The crowd cheered when Noa managed to stop one of Akabayashi's spikes. The ball bounced in the side of the court of Shiratorizawa, so Karasuno had earned one more point.

 **10-9**

SHIRATORIZAWA ACADEMY

Okada (L-3rd year) | Oshima (S-3rd year) | Sawa (WS-2nd year)

Nakata (WS-3rd year) | Akabayashi (WS-3rd year) | Fukaeri (MB-2nd year)

NET

KARASUNO HIGH SCHOOL

Harada (S-2nd year) | Oka (MB-2nd year) | Furihata (WS-1st year)

Nagano (WS-3rd year) | Shiraiwa (L-2nd year) | Michimiya (WS-3rd year)

"They've changed a lot! Karasuno doesn't seem to be the same team that played the first set. How's that even possible?"

"It's like if they can know who's going to spike each time!"

The truth was that, since Chizuko had told them the setter of Shiratorizawa's quirks, everything was going smooth. They were being able to keep up with Shiratorizawa even though their bodies were faltering after having played firstly against Kinga and now against Shiratorizawa. Besides, the fact that they couldn't spike the ball so easily was driving the players of Shiratorizawa to despair. They were losing their patience.

"Nice serve, Yui-san!"

The captain of Karasuno grabbed the ball firmly. She tried to focus and aimed for Okada, so Oshima wouldn't touch the ball. The libero received easily and Oshima moved to set the ball up.

In Karasuno, everyone noticed the gesture she did and, that time, Ayako and Chizuko moved to their left to block Akayabayashi's spike. The captain of Shiratorizawa hit the ball, but her shot wasn't clean and it touched Chizuko's hand.

"One touch!"

Mayu received the ball and lifted it up. Ayako changed her position. The ball flew high, so she waited patiently until it went down a little bit. She had plenty of time to think what to do next. Yui was the best choice.

 **10-10**

"Nice shot, Yui-san!" Ayaka and Yoshino cheered from the sideline.

"Is something wrong?" The coach assistant of Shiratorizawa looked at the coach. The man was always serious during the matches, but the coach assistant noticed that his eyes were widening that time.

"I'm always telling her that she has to learn to be more discreet, but she never follows my advice", the man ran his hand through his black hair and sighed.

"What are you talking about?"

"Oshima. She is a good setter, she always knows where she should toss to make the spikes easier for her teammates, but her quirks are very obvious. Until now, if the other team noticed some of these tendencies, we could counteract that disadvantage thanks to our hitters' powerful spikes. Today, that's not possible. Karasuno has figured out all of them. It doesn't matter how or where our players are moving, Karasuno is always going to be well positioned to not let us spike the ball as freely as in the first set"

"And what can we do? We'll lose this match if we don't find a solution"

"Well, I think it's pretty clear"

After Karasuno had won another point, the whistle warned them that there was going to be a substitution. In the sideline, a girl with short red hair was holding a board with Oshima's number.

"Are they going to sub their setter?" Jiro asked.

"They found out", Hatsue furrowed her brow. "It's normal. They probably know better than anyone what their setter's quirks are"

"What?" Oshima looked surprised.

"Nozomi", Akayabashi pushed her a little bit, so she would leave the court. "You need to get out"

"But they can't replace me! What if this is our last game?" The third-year setter whined.

"What are you talking about?" Tamura smirked and Akabayashi tapped the setter's back.

"This is not going to be our last game. We are going to win this"

Oshima sighed. She walked towards her teammate and nodded. She would leave everything up to her.

 **16-16**

SHIRATORIZAWA ACADEMY

Sawa (WS-2nd year) | Fukaeri (MB-2nd year) | Akabayashi (WS-3rd year)

Yano (S-2nd year) | Tamura (MB-2nd year) | Nakata (WS-3rd year)

NET

KARASUNO HIGH SCHOOL

Furihata (WS-1st year) | Michimiya (WS-3rd year) | Harada (MB-2nd year)

Oka (MB-2nd year) | Harada (S-2nd year) | Nagano (WS-3rd year)

Noriko jump served. The ball was received by Fukaeri.

Yano was, curiously, smaller than the rest of the players of Shiratorizawa regardless of their libero. If something stood out in Yano was her long and strong arms. Her placement was good, but, maybe, the colocation of her fingers was worse than Oshima's. Nevertheless, she was like a rock, expressionless, rigid even in her moves. She looked like a robot.

The second-year set the ball backwards to the hitters who were coming from the back zone. Fukaeri showed signs of spiking, but it was Sawa at the end who hit the ball, winning a point for Shiratorizawa.

 **17-16**

"Now that everything seemed to be fine, they decide to change their setter", Aimi moaned, grabbing tightly the railing.

"What did you expect?" Her brother glanced at her. "They have to change something if they don't want to lose this match", Nagisa hummed. "And she's not a bad setter. She has created a clear opportunity for their number 9. She had spent a lot of time without scoring and that was discouraging her"

"I don't like that number 9 at all", Aimi pouted and crossed her arms.

After the substitution, Shiratorizawa took the advantage again. Fatigue was affecting the players, especially in Karasuno. Their physical condition was worse and they weren't used to going that far in competitions.

Noa clenched her teeth. They couldn't let the distance in points grow much longer because that would mean their defeat when they were so close to the end of the set and the match. She was feeling furious because she knew she could do better. When she played beach volleyball she was good, _very_ good, but there was something wrong with her since she had joined the volleyball team of Karasuno. Something was holding her back and she couldn't tell what it was, but it didn't let her show her true potential.

Since when hadn't she been able to do straights? She wasn't sure about that. She had never been an expert in straight shots, but, on the other hand, no one had ever stopped so easily her cross spikes and Shiratorizawa had managed to block all of them since the first set. And, at that moment, she couldn't risk doing a cross spike if the path wasn't clear enough.

 **22-20**

SHIRATORIZAWA ACADEMY

Nakata (WS-3rd year) | Okada (L-3rd year) | Yano (S-2nd year)

Akabayashi (Ws-3rd year) | Fukaeri (MB-2nd year) | Sawa (Ws-2nd year)

NET

KARASUNO HIGH SCHOOL

Harada (MB-2nd year) | Nagano (WS-3rd year) | Harada (S-2nd year)

Michimiya (WS-3rd year) | Furihata (WS-1st year) | Oka (MB-2nd year)

Karasuno was serving. Chizuko sent the ball towards Shiratorizawa. Okada, the libero, received easily and lifted the ball up for Yano. She tossed for Akabayashi, who spiked hardly. Her straight shot went through the block of Karasuno and, although Noa tried to be well positioned, the spike hit her body instead of her forearms.

The ball flew out towards the front, but it was too low. Chizuko ran trying to lift it up again and pass it to the other side of the court so they could reorganize their defense. However, when the ball was lifted up, a blue flash crossed in front of the middle blocker's eyes. Noriko spiked so suddenly that no one saw that coming.

 **22-21**

"Awesome", Tomone's eyes sparkled.

"That's it!" Aimi hopped, feeling all excited. "Get all that points back!"

 **24-23**

Shiratorizawa served again. Chizuko received and Ayako moved to toss the ball for Noriko, who scored even though she had been blocked by three players.

 **24-24**

Noriko served this time. The ball was received by Fukaeri. Yano set it up quickly for Tamura, but her shot was controlled by Ayako, who couldn't lift it up properly.

"Sorry! Cover!"

Ayaka used a pass with her forearms. It wasn't perfect, but maybe someone could send it towards the side of the court of Shiratorizawa and start again. However, Noriko almost pushed her teammates and she spiked powerfully once again.

 **24-25**

"What!?" Akabayashi clenched her fists.

"We've seen a lot of videos of Karasuno and the Ace wasn't as powerful as today", Fukaeri spat.

"Wow! Noriko-san is awesome today!" Jiro couldn't believe his eyes. "It's like if she has transformed!"

When the manager said that, Hatsue fidgeted and watched the Ace closely.

"Well done, Noriko-san!" Her teammates encouraged her as they approached the Ace.

"Don't talk to her!" Hatsue suddenly burst out as she stood up. Everyone stopped in their tracks and stared at the woman, confused. "If you talk to her, you'll wreck everything! She's in a state of concentration above the average!"

"What does she mean?" Yoshino wondered. But, as soon as she and the rest of her teammates set their eyes on Noriko, they realized that the third-year seemed not to be paying attention to her surroundings. After scoring, she had returned to her position and she was already ready to serve.

Noa watched Noriko closely. A dark, almost black, aura was surrounding Noriko. The wing spiker's eyes were widely opened and her face was tensed, like the rest of the muscles of her body. She barely blinked and every move she made had a purpose. Noriko wasn't probable aware of what she was actually doing, but, at some point during that set, she had turned into a hunter. She was leading the team toward victory carrying it on her back.

Noa looked around. Her teammates had furrowed their brows and their muscles tightened. None of them was saying it out loud, but Noa could almost hear their voices in her head. They were lending Noriko all their strength.

Nobody dared to stand in Noriko's way, be it for spiking or blocking. Noriko was intimidating even to her own teammates due to an overwhelming presence no one knew she had. So, when the Ace of Karasuno spiked the ball one last time and it bounced in the corner of the court of Shiratorizawa, that transformation had come to an end.

 **28-30**

The referee blew his whistle.

Karasuno had won that match.

For a few seconds, the girls couldn't move, partly because they couldn't take in their achievement and partly because their legs couldn't hold up their bodies anymore. However, the cheers of the crowd finally woke them up and everyone ran towards Noriko, who received all her teammates with open arms and a huge grin on her face.

"You've been awesome!" Jiro yelled as he joined the group hug.

"What?" She chuckled. "It hasn't been so much", The Ace rubbed the back of her neck and smiled a little bit embarrassed by the compliments.

"Are you kidding!?" Ayaka looked at her surprised. "You've done it all by yourself!"

 _So that's what it means to be the Ace_

Noa stayed much more quiet than the rest of her teammates in the celebration. To be the Ace meant not to turn your back on your team. It meant that, when your teammates couldn't continue fighting, you'll keep on trying. Noriko had done all that during the third set. That's why Noa wanted to be like her. Before the tournament started, Hatsue had given her the goal of becoming the new Ace, but only that day Noa realized that she had a lot of work to do, starting with getting back all that confidence she had lost since she joined the team.

"This isn't happening", Sawa Chiyoko muttered. "This isn't happening!" She kicked the bench, unable to hold all her anger. They had let a great opportunity to be at Nationals slip.

"Sawa!" The coach yelled. "Do you kick the furniture of your house? I don't think so!" The man scolded her. "You've been playing around instead of being properly focused on the match. We are better than them, but we lost because you can't help but act like a moron"

"They don't deserve going to Nationals", Tamura added. "They aren't the best team! And they've won a place thanks to mere luck!"

"They'll be taught a lesson in Tokyo", Akabayashi looked down at the players of Karasuno.

The crowd stood up and started to applause.

After lining up and bowing to their rivals, Karasuno bowed to the stands alongside of the pitch where Aimi, Nagisa and Tomone had been supporting them since the match started. Hanging of the railing was the banner that had put so much hope in them.

"Congratulations!" Aimi yelled. "Tokyo is waiting!"

Everyone exchanged looks, a bit confused.

"Tokyo?" Yoshino asked.

"We still have to play against Niiyama tomorrow", Yui muttered.

As if someone had read their thoughts, a female's dreary voice sounded through the speakers of the gym.

"After playing a third set, Karasuno has won Shiratorizawa and will be in the Spring High Tournament in Tokyo as representative of the Miyagi prefecture. Tomorrow, Niiyama and Karasuno will face each other to determine which team will be the champion of the Prefecture of Miyagi"

"W-What!?" Yui's eyes widened.

"Is this kind of a joke?" Mayu grabbed Noa's arm. The first-year could only open and close her mouth unable to say something. "Because if it's a joke, it's not funny at all", she whined.

"Congratulations! You are going to Nationals!" A smiling Jiro looked at them proudly.

"Wait a second! Did you know about this!?" Noriko pointed at the manager in an accusing way.

"Of course I knew!"

"And why didn't you tell us anything!?" Noriko tried to kick Jiro, but he managed to dodge it on time.

"Oi! Wait!" Jiro sweat dropped. "You should be celebrating not scolding me for not telling you! What kind of celebration is that!?"

"Let them be. I don't think they'll process what's happening until tomorrow", Hatsue chuckled as she joined them. "We didn't want to tell you anything because we thought it would be better that way"

"But-"

Hatsue cut Yui off to explain herself.

"For many years, Niiyama has been the representative of Miyagi. That's how they earned the nickname 'Queens'. They are one of the greatest teams in Japan and that's why Niiyama is a seeded team, what means that they don't have to play in the first round at Nationals", Hatsue made a pause. "Did you remember that, for the last year, it has been a decrease in the level and number of girls playing volleyball in Japan? Many teams have already disappear because they didn't have enough members"

"Yours was about to", Jiro reminded them, so everyone nodded.

"That's right", Hatsue nodded as well. "To increase the level of competition and to have the same number of teams of boys and girls, the committee has decided that this year two prefectures could bring two teams instead of one. That way, they hope to encourage girls to play volleyball in those places where the participation is limited. This is the first year this measure is implemented, the committee is testing it, and it's been decided that those prefectures will be Miyagi and Oita, the latter is one of the smallest prefectures in Japan"

"So…" Noa swallowed hard. "Then, we are going to Tokyo?"

"That's right"

All of them exchanged looks and, then, they went crazy.

The third-years hugged, but Yui remembered that if they had managed to go to Nationals it was because of a certain someone. The captain turned around and stretched her arm to grab Noa's shirt and push her towards them.

"Thank you", the third-years babbled.

"I didn't do anything", Noa chuckled, not sure of what she should do or say. They seemed truly grateful.

"You've been very persistent after all", Noriko said.

"Thank you", Yoshino followed, her voice still breaking as tears rolled down her cheeks.

"But don't get too confident!" Hatsue warned them, but she couldn't help the smile that showed up in her face as she saw her players crying of happiness and hugging each other. "We still have a rival to defeat and it's Niiyama. I want you to rest for tomorrow! It will be an interesting test for all of you. Niiyama is a high level team"

"Osss!" Everyone shouted at unison.

"Hold on a second", Ayaka spoke. "Where is Chizuko?"

Everyone turned around, but the middle blocker wasn't there anymore. She had left and they didn't even notice.

"Should we try to find her?" Yoshino asked.

"Let her be", Hatsue replied. "She had gone through so much in only one day. She'll need to be alone", she clapped her hands. "Okay, girls, put away everything. We could celebrate this tomorrow"

Everyone nodded. They left the court together after putting away everything.

Jiro walked with them and handed them some towels. Chizuko wasn't in the changing rooms either, but no one dare to say a thing. In complete silence, they had a shower quickly with cold water for their sore muscles and when they finished they put on their tracksuits.

"Where is our coach?" Noriko asked as she put her sport bag on her shoulder.

"She's gone", Jiro answered. He had been waiting for them outside, in the hallway. Nagisa and Aimi were with the manager. "She has given me a message for all of you. She wants you to rest. We'll meet here tomorrow an hour before usual to talk about the rival"

Ayako closed her eyes for a moment and sighed. "What a relief. I need my bed"

"Thanks for supporting us!" Yui bowed to the siblings and so did the rest of the team.

"I told you I was coming!" Aimi grinned. "And you've won! You've met your goal!"

"Yes…" Yui swallowed hard and looked away, so Aimi tilted her head, not understanding the captain's behavior.

"Let's say we are not in the mood to party", Yoshino spoke as she could read Aimi's mind.

"Mmm… That's true", Nagisa hummed. "Where's Oka-san?"

"I think we should be leaving. It's getting late", Jiro put a hand on his best friend's shoulder. Nagisa glanced at the manager, but he didn't need anything else to understand that he shouldn't insist on the topic for the time being. Jiro would explain him everything later.

"Okay, but is someone going to explain me who the hell is she?" Ayako pointed at her right. Everyone turned their heads to catch a glimpse of brown hair which was sticking out one of the corners. Tomone was staring at them intently, so she wasn't being unnoticed as she expected.

"Tomone-san?" Noa asked. "You don't have to hide from us", Noa sweat dropped. "Thanks for coming", she smiled stretching her right hand towards the first-year to invite her to come out.

"Do you know her?" Noriko asked.

"Yes. We are friends"

Tomone's eyes widened as Noa pronounced those words in such a simple way. She was so shocked, that, unconsciously, she stopped hiding.

"Holy crap!" Ayako's jaw dropped. "She's huge!"

Tomone blushed uncomfortably. It didn't matter how many times she had provoked the same reaction, she never was going to get used to it.

"Ku-Kurumizawa Tomone", she bowed. "First year, Class 2"

"Thanks for supporting us, Kurumizawa-san", Yui smiled. "Your banner has been a nice surprise. We needed something like that"

"Oh! I-It's nothing, really. Watanabe-san helped me"

"Don't take the credit away from you, Kurumizawa-san", Nagisa smiled slightly. "Kurimizawa-san asked for my help to put the banner the finishing touches and then fold it"

Suddenly the atmosphere became tense. Everyone went silent as the players of Shiratorizawa walked past them. The latter looked forward, their chins up, but the players of Karasuno could read the grimaces on their faces.

"I'm glad you've won", Aimi broke the silence. "I don't like those girls. They give me the creeps"

"Anyway", Jiro sighed, not paying match attention to what had happened. He wasn't in the mood. "Let's go now. I'm your manager and Mori-san has entrusted me your care. You should go home now"

"You're being very responsible, Jiro-kun", Yoshino smiled gently.

"Well…" He blushed a little bit. "I'm responsible because it's my duty as your manager"

"You are too cute when you bush!" Noriko chortled as she tapped his back.

"What do you mean 'cute'? Is that even a compliment? I'm a man!"

"Pfff… Since when have you been acting so manly?" Aimi teased. However, everyone only smiled as they felt that laughing at that moment wasn't the right thing, not when Chizuko wasn't with them.

They headed towards the gymnasium entrance door. The sun had already started to set. Some of the players zipped their jackets. Winter was around the corner and, therefore, nights were colder and colder.

"Do we have to give someone a lift?" Aimi asked. "There's room in my car for two"

"They've won", Noa muttered.

Everyone glanced at her and raised an eyebrow. Noa had her eyes fix on her phone screen.

"They've won!" the first-year smiled. Her eyes were sparking. "Daichi has texted me!" Noa showed her phone to her senpais, so they could read it as well. "But it's a pity. If they qualify tomorrow for the semifinal, I couldn't go to see their match". Noa pouted. "At that time, we'll be playing against Niiyama"

"Bruh…" Jiro rolled his eyes. "That means everyone will be going to see their match instead of ours because our team and Niiyama are already qualified for Nationals"

"I don't want to be rude, guys, but it's getting late", Aimi chirped happily, playing with the key of her car.

"Stop that. You'll lose it"

"Yes, mom~" Aimi winked playfully at her brother who frowned, not approving his older sister's childish behavior.

At the end, Mayu got in Aimi's car given that she was the only one who lived further. The rest of team walked towards the bus stop. That day, Noa preferred to walk, so she waved at her teammates and left. Tomone offered to do her some company and, although both remained silent for the most part, it wasn't an uncomfortable situation for them.

"Have you been bullied again, Tomone-san?" Noa was the first one to break the silence. Since she had been left alone with Tomone, she wanted to ask her about it.

"N-No", the girl lowered her head. "E-Everything's fine"

Noa glanced at her. She didn't get the feeling that everything was fine, especially because Tomone didn't dare to look at her.

"I-I'll be heading this way", Tomone smiled shyly as she pointed at her left. The first-year turned around, but before she went too far, Noa stopped her.

"Hey, Tomone, I know we barely know each other and I don't have the right to judge or tell you what you should do, but I can tell when a person is not happy"

Tomone opened her mouth to say something, but any sound didn't come out. The first-year swallowed hard, trying to swallow the lump in her throat and stared at her feet.

"I could ask you if you're happy in the chorus of our high school, but I'm sure you'll tell me you are and you'll smile. But it would be a fake smile. I'll nod and let it be. But, actually, I'm not that kind of a person. So I want you to know that, if something doesn't make you happy, you don't have to keep insisting on it", Noa followed. "You can always join the volleyball team. We need someone as wonderfully tall as you are!" Noa smiled widely.

Tomone's eyes widened, but she wasn't brave enough to give Noa an answer. What did she do to have someone she had just met to be so kind to her?

Instead, Tomone didn't move, watching Noa go in the opposite direction until she turned right and disappeared behind a corner.

When she opened the door, after her walk home, Noa was welcomed by a warm feeling. It smelled like freshly cooked food.

"Welcome home", Miyoko greeted her in the hall and she took Noa's sport bag off her shoulder.

"I can do it, Miyoko-san"

"How many times do I have to repeat myself? I'm pregnant, Noa-san, not disabled", the woman tapped gently her tummy and smiled.

"And so?" Daichi snatched the sport bag from his mother's hands. Miyoko rolled her eyes, but she couldn't help but smile.

"We won"

"Are you serious?" Daichi's jaw dropped. "Amazing…"

"That's fantastic!" Miyoko hugged Noa, who giggled. "But why do you look so serious? It seems you've lost!"

"I'm happy. Seriously", Noa chuckled. "We are already at Nationals, but we are playing against Niiyama tomorrow"

"Wait, what!?"

Noa walked past Daichi and went upstairs, so they wouldn't keep queationing her. However, the captain of Karasuno followed her, wanting to know more about it.

"Don't get too distracted! As soon as Hayate arrives, we'll have dinner!" Miyoko warned them.

Noa sighed as she plopped into her bed. "I didn't know how exhausted I was until now"

"I know. That's why I never lay down or sit down after having played volleyball the whole day. If I did, I couldn't get up"

"Mmmm"

"So, tell me, how is it that your are already going to Nationals if you have to play one last match?"

"Aparently, the committee wants the same number of teams in each category and the number of girls' volleyball teams has decrease in the last years. That's why it has been decided that two prefectures can have two teams instead of one at Nationals. So we've been lucky this time. Miyagi is one of the two prefectures allowed to have two teams in the competition this year. We didn't know about it. The coach didn't want to tell us not to pressure us"

"But you're not happy", Daichi crossed his arms. "Something's bothering you". He hadn't been knowing Noa for so long to know her that well, but the girl's face always reflected her emotions, so it was easy to tell how she was feeling.

"Why do you think I'm not happy?"

"Because you should be jumping up and down with joy. You are going to Tokyo! It's the first time our girls' volleyball team goes to Nationals!"

"I'm smiling", Noa showed him her best toothy smile. "See?"

Daichi raised an eyebrow. He wasn't buying it.

Noa clicked her tongue and she finally gave up. "Well, we've been through a lot today"

Noa went silent. Should she tell Daichi what had happened to Chizuko? The middle blocked had felt humilliated. Possibly, the fact that Daichi could know about it too would make things worse and she had still to apologize to Chizuko for no telling her about her boyfriend earlier.

"The players of Shiratorizawa tried to manipulate us and to make us fight. And the worst part it's that they've suceeded. We've argued several times during the match, so we weren't in the mood to party"

"It's the first time I hear something like that", Daichi frowned.

"I guess it was their strategy to win"

"But I'm glad you've managed to overcome it", Daichi smiled.

Noa, however, grimaced. It wasn't true. They didn't overcome it. The mood in the changing room had been cold and only the third-years had expressed a little bit of happiness and excitement. The twins, on the other hand, didn't exchange a word with Noa or Mayu.

"They… The players of Shiratorizawa, I mean. I think they saw Chizuko-san as the weakest member in our team and they decided to attack us through her", Noa sat up in her bed to look at Daichi. "They used a very personal subject to attack her"

Daichi nodded. He would have asked what kind of personal subject was, he wanted to know, but he had the feeling that Noa wasn't going to tell him because she wanted to preserved her teammate's privacy.

"Chizuko-san is hurt, including us, because we didn't act correctly, Mayu and I especially", Noa followed. "Obviously, we want to talk to her, clear up everything and apologize, but Chizuko-san left without anyone noticing. And what I dislike the most about this is that everyone in the team seems to avoid the topic!", Noa bit her bottom lip.

Daichi rubbed the back of his head, a little bit uncomfortable. He lacked information and, on the other hand, he noticed that the girls' feelings were very complicated for him to understand them completely.

Yet, he approached Noa and put his hand over his shoulder. She looked up and and Daichi showed her a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry. Give her some space. Tomorrow, when you play against Niiyama, you'll see her again and you could talk calmly about what happened. She will have to time to think and she'll be more willing to listen to you"

Noa nodded. She was hoping Daichi was right.

However, the next day, Chizuko didn't show up.

* * *

 **And that's all! I hope you all enjoyed it. Let's take a rest from volleyball next chapter.  
**

 **Next chapter: Chizuko**

* * *

 **CHARACTER PROFILE**  
AKABAYASHI AI

 **Complete name:** Akabayashi Ai

 **Date of birth:** November 30th

 **Age:** 17

 **Height:** 179.45 cm

 **Weight:** 70 kg

 **Appearance:** Ai is tall, has light, copper-brown hair, and dark brown eyes. She always keeps her hair back in twintails behind her ears and lets her fringe down to the top of her eyes. It should give her an innocent appearance but the expression of superiority she always has on her face turns her into an unapproachable person.

 **Personality:** Perpetually sullen and undeniably short-tempered, Ai is an overbearing perfectionist, caring only about winning and completely disregarding the opinions of her teammates, classmates or friends. However, as a captain, she isn't oppressive given her egocentric attitude. She cares about her teammates because she's well aware that she can't win alone.  
Ai is hardworking, talented and a natural genius, especially whe it comes to studying. Highly perceptive and good with problem solving, Ai is a skilled planner and good at mapping out scenarios, but she usually prefers to watch instead of taking part in whatever plan her teammates are working on to humilliate their rivals.

 **Occupation:** High school student (3rd year, Class 2)

 **Team:** Shiratorizawa Academy

 **Position:** Wing spiker | Captain

 **Favorite food:** Shuumai

 **Goals:** Inherit her father's business

 **Current concern:** She hates how ugly her nails get after playing volleyball for so long

 **Statistics** (out of 5)  
Power: 4  
Jump: 4  
Stamina: 3  
Strategy: 2  
Technique: 3  
Speed: 3

* * *

 **~ See you next time!**


	28. Chizuko

**A/N: Hello everyone! It's been a long time! I'm busy with my university projects and I'm ooking for a job, but I guess I'm not lucky u.u Anyway I won't lose hope. I know I'll finally find something.  
Have you been reading Haikyuu recently? Oh gosh... I won't spoil anything, but FINALLY. I'm so excited for what's about to come in the following chapters!  
Thanks also for reading and keep supporting this story. It encourages me to keep writing. I'll do my best to keep improving my English :)  
**

 **jungkookies: Are you seriously starting your own Haikyuu OC fanfic? Then, I'll read it! I'm sure it's great. And thanks for your honesty. Volleyball matches are a bit tedious when they are written I guess. I'll have to figure out something to make them more enjoyable.**

 **randomfics29: First of all, thanks for your nice review. It's hard having so many OCs and trying to give them their moments to shine equally even though Noa is the main protagonist. On the other hand, awwwww I'm so glad you like Nagisa x Noa. I think they are cute too! They'll have their moments (even in this new chapter!), so we'll see whay happens between them ;) By the way, I haven't forgotten about Lizzie, but I won't spoil anything haha**

 **Enjoy your reading!**

 **I do not own Haikyuu or its chatacters**

* * *

 **CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN**  
Chizuko

Chizuko didn't show up the next day.

Noa checked her mobile phone several times before taking to the court. She was tempted to text Daichi to tell him that he was wrong, that Chizuko wasn't there and that they had lost her for sure. But, at the end, she didn't do it.

While she was staring at her phone screen, it lighted up. Yachi had just texted her to tell her that Karasuno had won against Wakutani South, what meant that they would be playing against Aobajohsai next. Noa pressed her fingers and stood up to get ready and start the warm-up as soon as possible.

It wasn't an easy match. To be honest, they weren't expecting to go that far in the competition, so they hadn't studied Niiyama properly. Their coach had summoned them an hour before usual to give them some tips, but that wasn't enough. They were beaten by Niiyama. Their rivals were in a different whole level. It's no coincidence they had been nickname 'Queens'.

After having won three sets in a row and not giving Karasuno any chance, Noa and the rest of the team realized how high the level of teams in the Nationals was. That match was a good proof to determine that, for the time being, Karasuno didn't have anything to do against the rivals they would face in Tokyo.

Hatsue, unlike other matches, didn't scold them. The mood was still heavy, even more than the previous day. Chizuko hadn't come, so that provoked that all of the players were tensed. Surely, everyone was wondering the same: would she come back or the shame she felt had managed to beat her?

When the match ended, they lined-up to greet their rivals and, afterwards, they thanked the crowd. They waited patiently while each of them received the silver medals. Moreover, Yui received a small trophy for being the runner-up team and she smiled to the cameramen who took a picture of her. Afterwards Niiyama received the golden medal and the trophy as winners. Everyone in Niiyama was smiling brightly and waved their hands enthusiastically. Many relatives and friends had come to see them. Meanwhile, the players of Karasuno had their eyes fixed on the wall in front of them, feeling a bit uncomfortable.

The crowd clapped when through the loudspeakers it was reminded that Niiyama and Karasuno were the two teams that would be representing Miyagi at Nationals for the first time ever. They raised their chins proudly, remembering that they had gone that far when bets were never on them.

When they approached the bench again, after picking up their silver medals, Hatsue and Jiro were waiting for them. Both were smiling.

"Put everything away, girls", Hatsue ordered.

"We'll be going back to school", Yui informed her. "The third-years will continue studying for our finals. I think as well that everyone in the high school is watching the boys' volleyball team"

"Yes", Yoshino nodded.

"Okay. Then rest properly tonight and eat well. You'll need to regain your strength. Your muscles are exhausted after all these days. Tomorrow you won't have practice, but get ready for what I've prepared for the following months", Hatsue set her eyes on Noa, who frowned slightly. Those words were addressed to everyone, but Noa had the feeling that the coach was especially talking to her for some reason.

They had a shower in the locker room and put their uniforms as they were returning to school. Outside, Jiro was waiting for them while talking to some players of Niiyama. They seemed to have fun as they laughed every time Jiro said something.

"Oh! They're back!" Jiro smiled brightly at them. "Come here!"

"You've done well this time". The captain of Niiyama was too serious, but she seemed like a nice girl. What she was saying didn't match to her face expression, though. But seeing how the rest of her teammates were behaving, she was being honest. "You've surprised everyone and I'm glad because that means you have determination. We'll see you at Nationals"

The girl reached her hand out and Yui stretched it firmly.

"If you want to, we can exchanged our emails", the number 6 of the team stepped forward as she took out her mobile from the pocket of her trousers. "Just in case you want to play a practice match or you need some advice"

"Yeah. Sure!" Yui's eyes sparkled.

"Thanks!" Yoshino added.

"They are surprisingly nice", Noriko crossed her arms and smiled gently.

The captains and vice captains of both team exchanged their emails and numbers. Afterwards, the players of Niiyama said goodbye and headed towards their bus. Everyone in Karasuno looked astonished the vehicle. They sighed and turned around. They had to return to high school using the public transport

They remained silent for most part of the journey, even though one of them usually mentioned something which allowed them to exchange a few words before being quiet again.

Noa stared through the window, catching a glimpse of the houses the bus passed by as she wasn't actually paying much attention of her surroundings. They were at Nationals, but no one was feeling happy or satisfied, not only because Chizuko wasn't there, but because they hadn't beaten Niiyama. If they managed to qualify for Nationals, it was thanks to mere luck. So their goal was still the same. They'll have to train harder if they wanted to survive, at least, to their first match in Tokyo.

When they arrived, everyone in Karasuno was watching the match of the boys' volleyball team. Some of the students, those who weren't engrossed in the game, smiled at them and congratulated them as soon as they noticed their presence. However, the little attention and interest they received showed them that no one in particular had faith in them.

"How is it going?" Jiro approached Nagisa. The second-year was leaning against the wall, near one of the windows. He had his arms crossed and, apparently, he wasn't very interested in what was happening in the game.

"It's a draw. Now it's starting the third set"

"The number 12 –I think his name is Yamaguchi", a spiky-haired boy spoke, "has been awesome in the second set! It's a pity Aobajohsai has managed to catch up at end"

"After messing up, he has redeemed himself!" Another one added.

"Yoss!" Mayu clenched her fists, taking a seat near Nagisa. Next to her there was a seat free, but Jiro was faster than Noa and sat next to the libero. Both started to discuss about the match with the rest of the students and they were quickly as engrossed in the match as everyone else.

Noa, however, didn't have nowhere to seat, so she shyly moved towards Nagisa, standing next to him. The boy was filling some papers, ignoring the fuss everyone was making around him.

"You should look for a chair and sit next to Jiro-kun"

Noa flinched when Nagisa spoke. There wasn't anyone near, so, despite he wasn't even looking at her, Noa realized that he was addressing to her.

"Oh, yeah. But I don't want to bother anyone"

Noa glanced at Nagisa. His writing was surprising clean and neat keeping in mind that he wasn't using a table.

"How was the match?"

"G-Good", Noa replied. She started to fiddle with her fingers. She had the feeling that Nagisa was trying to start a conversation with her because he was obliged to. "W-Well, actually we have lost"

"Then it wasn't that good"

"Yeah..." Noa flushed. Why did she feel so stupid while talking to him? Was it because Nagisa had an aura of perfection and superiority around him? "Umm… Nagisa-san?"

"Mmm…"

"How's Tomone-san doing?"

"What do you mean?" Nagisa stopped writing and looked at her seriously.

"I have the feeling that she's still being bullied"

"Well, we've done everything we could. She knows she can count on us. I don't think we can do more than we have already done"

Noa frowned. Nagisa was completely wrong. Of course they could do much more! But it was much more comfortable to turn a blind eye. No one would waste their time to help someone they barely know.

"No", Noa muttered. "We aren't doing anything. And that's not fair!" She clenched her fists. "I should do more, but you are the vice president of the Student Council. You should listen and help the students of this high school and you are not doing it!"

Nagisa's eyes slowly widened. He was going to answer, but Jiro interrupted them.

"Furi-chan, hurry! There's a free chair over there!" The boy pointed at his left.

Noa gave a last significant glance at Nagisa before turning around. When she turned on her heels and moved through the class, Nagisa watched Noa's long black her swayed slowly. Finally, she sat down next to Mayu, who started to explain her was happening in the match.

"Nagi-chan!"

Nagisa jumped a little bit. Jiro tilted his head a little bit confused.

"Are you okay? You spaced out"

"I'm fine", he replied bluntly, grabbing his pen again to continue filling his papers.

The last set between Karasuno and Aobajohsai was very tight. The students who had gathered in that class were yelling, clapping and whining. According to what Noa had been told, Karasuno painfully lost to Aobajohsai during the Inter High Preliminaries, so she could understand why everyone was so nervous. She was nervous too, but she was especially nervous for Daichi. He was a third-year and she knew how much the captain of Karasuno wanted to go to Nationals.

"Oh. Sugawara is going to play!" Noa leaned forward. Aobajohsai had the set point. It was a risky substitution.

However, Suga's serve didn't turn out to be as effective as he initially intended and Aobajohsai could start a good attack. It seemed like their number 12 was going to spike, but, suddenly, the number 16 emerged from behind. He spiked powerfully, but Hinata blocked it pushing Kageyama away slightly. When that happened, everyone in the classroom stood up, their yells full of excitement and clenching their fists.

Both teams exchanged some attack and defense moves. When the scoreboard reached 24-24, Karasuno did a synchronized attack. Yet, Kageyama surprised everyone doing a feint. The captain of Aobajohsai dived, but he didn't do it on time and Karasuno won one more point. Finally, they had the match point.

"Kageyama you idiot…" Noa put her hand over her chest. "I'll kill him when I see him for doing that! I almost had a heart attack"

"It's awesome", Mayu's eyes sparkled with awe. "He's such a good setter. He has so much personality to do that in a time like this"

Sugawara served again, aiming for the Ace of Aobajohsai. The ball was quickly tossed by Oikawa and the number 16 spiked. Noa flinched when Tanaka managed to stop the ball using the palm of his hands. Kageyama and Sugawara exchanged positions to set up the ball for Asahi. His spike was stopped, but the ball flew out of the court.

What happened next was as if everything and everyone was moving in slow motion.

Oikawa ran towards the ball, not willing to give up. The setter pointed at one of his teammates, Iwaizumi.

"Is he going to toss the ball from there!?"

The pass was perfect. The Ace hit the ball as hard as he could doing a cross spike that Daichi managed to receive. The ball flew out, but Tanaka dived, lifting the ball up in the air again. From the backline, Asahi spiked. The libero of Aobajohsai dug, but he wasn't able to lift the ball up, so it hit the net. However, before it landed, their number 16, Kyotani, stretched his arms and saved it. Kageyama had a perfect chance to spike, but Kindaichi blocked it. The ball fortunately hit Sugawara's forehead. Kageyama placed himself under the ball and tossed it for Hinata who was running from the back zone, asking for the ball.

Aobajohsai used three blockers to stop Hinata. The first-year hit the ball hardly, but the number 12, Kindaichi, slightly touched it with one of his fingers. The ball flew backwards, but Kindaichi's slightly touch was enough to change the path of the ball. Oikawa stretched his arms to receive, not able to adjust to its erratic path and it hit his forearm. The ball bounced outside the court.

In Karasuno, all the students stood up immediately, bouncing full of happiness. Mayu and Noa looked at each other and hugged, unable to hold their laughter. Despite the hardest part was about to come, facing Shiratorizawa to go to Tokyo, it had been a long time since Karasuno was performing so brightly.

"I'm leaving"

Noa and Mayu, who were still hugging, turned to look at Jiro. He had stood up already and his face expression was suddenly too serious.

"Is something wrong?" Mayu asked.

"I have to go. I have some important stuff to do", the manager took his backpack. "Are you staying here until they get back?"

"Yes. We'll wait for them to congratulate them", Noa answered. "I'm sure they'll come back to talk about Shiratorizawa. I'm exhausted and Daichi will be too, so we won't have much time to talk at home. That's why I'll wait for him now".

"Ah… You are such a good sister, Furi-chan ~", the boy teased, patting her head playfully. "Well, see you!" He waved at them while leaving the classroom.

"It's going to be hard", Noa sat down and put her hand over her throbbing chest. "Shiratorizawa is a better team, isn't it?"

"That's right. The match is going to be a rollercoaster"

"Do you want to watch it with me?"

"Sure! See you at the gym entrance tomorrow?"

Noa nodded. "By the way, do you think the rest of the team will want to come with us as well?"

"I don't know. We haven't still discussed anything about what has happened with Chizuko, the atmosphere in the team is weird. Besides, I guess our senpais will want to go on their own account"

"Mmmmm…"

"Have you already thought about what you are going to do?"

Mayu and Noa turned their heads. Nagisa, who was still leaning against the wall filling some papers, raised his gaze to fix his eyes on both girls.

"What do you mean?" Mayu questioned.

"You are going to Tokyo, aren't you?" Nagisa leaned forward. "How are you going to pay the journey? The volleyball club doesn't have enough funds. You are acting too cool. You knew about it, didn't you?"

Mayu and Noa remained silent. Both girls exchanged looks and swallowed hard. None of them had thought about the most important part: the money they would need to travel to Tokyo and to stay there. Maybe their parents would pay for it, but they weren't sure all the players' parents would be willing to pay for it. They didn't know either how long they would last in the competition. Moreover, staying in the capital was expensive.

"I guess Mori-san already knew it", Nagisa continued. "And, if she doesn't know yet, she'll do it eventually. Fujibashi-sensei is going to get in contact with her as she is the teacher in charge of the club"

"And what will happen if we don't have the money?" Noa wondered.

"You won't go"

"What!?" Noa's high pitch voice caught the other students' attention who turned around to look at her. "It's not fair", she added, this time lowering her voice. "We've fought to win that spot in Nationals"

"Nobody is saying otherwise, Furihata-san, but, if you don't have money, you can't do anything about it"

Noa pouted and crossed her arms. "We haven't gone this far for nothing"

"Don't worry, Noa-san", Mayu smiled. "We'll find a solution. You'll see"

Nagisa watched both girls curiously while they discussed about the matter. They were coming up with the craziest plans to gain some money. Unconsciously, he smiled sweetly and as soon as he realized it he jumped a little bit, surprised by his own reaction. He closed his eyes for a moment and sighed. He couldn't understand what had just happened to him, why he cared so much about them. And, however, his brain kept working in what he could do to help them.

"Ah! They are here!" A boy leaned out the window and everyone quickly gathered around the rest of the windows to have a look.

"Are those Yui-san, Noriko-san and Yoshino-san?" Mayu asked.

The third-years were waiting in the courtyard for the members of the boys' volleyball team. Noa turned around and rushed out the classroom, making Mayu laughed.

When Noa went out the building, she was almost out of breath. A few inches away, she spotted the boys talking to her senpais. When she managed to reach them, she jumped into Daichi arms.

"Congratulations! I'm so proud of you!" Noa yelled, giving Daichi a kiss on the cheek.

That innocent gesture made everyone's jaw drop.

"Noa-san!" Yui covered her face, feeling embarrassed by her kouhais' behavior

"I want a kiss too!" Tanaka and Nishinoya yelled at the same time, but both were frozen by Daichi's death stare.

"You'll get it!", Noa stepped away from Daichi and pointed at both second-years with her index finger. "But you have to win Shiratorizawa first! Then every one of you will receive a kiss on the cheek!"

The majority of the boys blushed while Tanaka and Nishinoya started shouting uncontrollably.

"Stop making a fuss!" Daichi yelled.

"How effusive you always are, Noa-san", Suga smiled gently.

Noriko sighed and crossed her arms. "I don't think most part of the time she's aware of what she says"

"But I thinks that's part of her charm", Asahi followed. Noriko and Suga turned to look at him curiously. The third-year girl raised an eyebrow. But as soon as Asahi saw Suga's teasing smirk, he realized what he had actually said. "I-It's n-not what you think!"

Asahi blushed and Suga laughed.

 **...**

Chizuko stared at the clock which was over her desk. It was after 4 in the afternoon. She sighed and stretched her arms. She had spent all day locked up in her room studying.

She pressed her forehead against the table. She didn't go to the match. She didn't feel like it. She didn't want to see anyone. She wasn't even sure she liked volleyball anymore. Maybe the best decision was to quit if she wasn't going to enjoy it once again. She didn't want to see her teammates' pitiful stares. She didn't want them to be obliged to apologize to her for something that wasn't their fault. In fact, she was the one who should apologize in the first place for having involved them in her own problems.

 _What had happened against Niiyama? Would have they won?_

She stood up and opened the curtains to let the autumn daylight fill in her room. She got dressed and got out of her room.

"Where are you going? Have you finished your study session?" Her mother was staring at her, armed crossed, while Chizuko put her shoes on.

"Yes. I feel like going for a walk to clear my mind a little bit"

"Your father will ask you some questions to know if you have studied properly as soon as he arrives from work. Don't be late", her mother warned her. Chizuko only nodded and left the flat without adding anything else.

Since she was a child Chizuko had been forced to become the perfect daughter. Her mother wasn't able to get pregnant and when her parents stopped trying that's when her mother finally got pregnant.

Chizuko arrived late to their lives, so her parents had always been older than her classmates' parents. Even some of them used to think they were her grandparents. Chizuko never cared about it, she was used to it, but maybe because of that her parents were always overprotective and demanding. She could only devote herself to studying and getting good grades to go to a good university.

The only time Chizuko thought she had managed to rebel against them was when she started to date Takeshi-kun. But, despite that, her parents gave her their permission first. Takeshi-kun's parents were associates in her father's small company, so when Chizuko asked them for their permission both accepted.

She ran a hand through her short hair. How many times her parents had influenced in her life decisions? How many times she remained silent because she didn't want to deceive them, because she didn't want to lose their trust and still be the perfect daughter?

When will they found that out that she wasn't going out with Takeshi-kun anymore? She didn't dare to tell them, let alone tell her mother. She would tell her that Takeshi-kun had cheated on her because it was her fault for not being more feminine.

"Chizuko-chan?"

She looked at herself in the reflections of a store window. Maybe her mom was right. Maybe she had lost Takeshi-kun because she wasn't pretty enough and because, as her mother always told her since she was a child, she talked too much and she should start behaving like a young lady.

"Chizuko-chan!"

Chizuko jumped a little bit when she felt someone grabbing her arm. Jiro was standing next to her and he seemed worried.

"I've been calling you out for a while. Are you okay?"

Chizuko looked around. It was almost night and she didn't even know where she was. She had been so absorbed in her own thoughts that she didn't even remember the path she had taken.

Her eyes travelled up and down Jiro's body. He was wearing an apron of the supermarket she had stopped in front of.

"Do you work here, Jiro-kun?" She finally asked.

"Oh! Yeah!" Jiro released her arm as he jumped a little bit. "I come here every weekend and after practice", he giggled. "Now that you know my secret, I'll have to kill you", he joked, hoping that would make Chizuko smile, but she didn't.

"Where do you find the time?"

"It's fine. You don't have to worry about it, Chizuko-chan", the manager patted gently the top of her head.

"I…" Chizuko felt her cheeks getting warm.

"Where are you going?" Jiro cut her off. "It's late for a girl to be wandering alone in the streets"

"Oh, well… I-I needed to clear my mind"

"I see…" Jiro nodded. Suddenly, the boy peeped his head through the door and took off his apron. "Ooshima-san!" An old man appeared from behind one of the shelves. "Would you mind if I go home for today? Tomorrow I'll come earlier to make it up for you!"

The old man glanced at Chizuko and smiled. "Oh. I see", he nodded eagerly. "There's no problem, Aoyama-kun. You have to take care of such a nice girl"

"Thanks, old man! You are the best!" Jiro took immediately Chizuko's hand and pushed her slightly so she started walking with him.

"W-Where are we going?"

"It's late and my house is nearby. You'll have dinner with us and I'm not getting a 'no' as an answer"

Chizuko opened her mouth to reply, but any sound came out, so she lowered her head. A girl going to a boy's house. Jiro was too impulsive sometimes.

Certainly, his house was only a few meters away from the store. They went into a building and went upstairs to the second floor. There were many doors and she guessed one of them was Wanatabe-san's as Jiro had mentioned that they were neighbors since they were little.

When he opened the door, Chizuko thought the apartment was warm, even though it was a completely mess. There were many shoes piled up in the hall. The living-room could be seen from there as well where mountains of clothes were accumulated, waiting to be ironed.

"I'm home!" Jiro yelled.

A more or less 14-year-old girl appeared in the hallway. She must be Jiro's sister as they had the same hair color. But, unlike Jiro, who always seemed cheerful, her appearance showed indifference.

"Sorry for intruding", Chizuko bowed and Jiro's sister seemed much more bored than before.

"Is she your girlfriend?"

"Don't be rude, Hikari!" Jiro approached his sister. "She's Chizuko-chan. She plays in the volleyball team"

"Nice to meet you, Hikari-san", Chizuko bowed again and this time Jiro's sister bowed as well, although Chizuko got the feeling that Hikari was being forced by her cordiality.

"You could have cleaned this a little bit", Jiro frowned.

"Paaaaaass…~" The girl said as she turned on her heels and entered one of the rooms at the end of the hallway.

Jiro sighed and put his hands on his hips. Finally he turned around and smiled at Chizuko. "What do you want to have for dinner?"

"Oh! Whatever is fine"

Jiro entered the kitchen. It was small and the dishes, already clean, were still piled up near the sink. Jiro picked some cooking tools while Chizuko remained standing in the middle of the kitchen, without anything to do.

"C-Can I help you?"

"It's fine. You're my guest"

"But I'm being useless, Jiro-kun"

Jiro giggled. "You've never been useless, Chizuko-chan. But alright. Can you put away those dishes for me, please?" He pointed out at the pile.

"Sure"

"Have you already told your parents you are having dinner with us? I don't want them to be worried about you. I'll walk you home later"

"Not yet. I'll call them now"

Chizuko looked away. She knew her parents well, so she was sure they were going to get mad at her when she told them that she wasn't going to have dinner with them as she normally did. They had a very strict schedule.

"Won't they scold you because of me, right?" Jiro insisted, as if he could read her mind.

"Don't worry about that. Seriously"

"Great!" Jiro smiled brightly. "Because I wanted to be with you in a different environment rather than in school"

Chizuko tilted her head. Jiro kept cooking, without paying attention to her confused expression.

"You are always too serious", Jiro followed. "I wanted to know if you behave like that as well when we are outside", he glanced over his shoulder and grinned. Chizuko jumped a little bit and continued putting away the dishes as Jiro had asked her. "Have you seen him again?"

Chizuko went silent for a few seconds. "Yes", she finally answered.

She wasn't going to lie to Jiro. Takeshi-kun had gone to her house the night before. In front of her parents, she had pretended that everything was alright between them but, when they were left alone, Chizuko tried to be as honest and clear as possible: she didn't hate him, but she didn't want to go out with him anymore because thanks to what had happened she had realized that she wasn't in love with him.

"And are you alright?"

"I'm perfectly fine"

Once she finished putting away the dishes, Chizuko left the kitchen to call her parents. She didn't talk for so long with her mom, but her sharp voice and the way she expressed herself made Chizuko understand that her mom wasn't happy at all. She was going to be lectured for that. And she didn't even tell her that she was staying in a boy's house.

When she returned to the kitchen, Jiro had put some clay bowls on the table after having poured boiling water. Then he put them a lid and he made a gesture to Chizuko to sit down.

"Dinner is ready!" He shouted

Chizuko heared the sound of footsteps. A few seconds later, a little boy rushed inside the kitchen but as soon as he saw her he stopped. The little boy scrutinized Chizuko while he moved through the kitchen until he sat down slowly. Chizuko smiled shyly, but the messy dark-haired boy only narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

A little later, Hikari appeared as well holding in her arms a baby. She put him in a high chair. Jiro rummaged in one of the drawers searching for something and then moved the high chair next to his seat. What he had picked from the drawer was a bib for the baby that the manager tied around the baby's neck. Then, Jiro gave the baby a spoon and put a little bowl with some thick soup in front of him.

Jiro's little brother moved the lid away and so did Chizuko. Her eyes widened when she saw the noodles, meat and vegetables already cooked in a few minutes.

"And now the final touch~!" Jiro put in the four bowls a cooked egg.

"Itadakimasu", everyone murmured as they took the chopsticks to start eating.

While Chizuko was eating her food, she discreetly glanced at Jiro. He was looking out for everything and everyone, especially the baby. His baby brother wanted to eat alone, so, when Jiro tried to help him, the baby made a little fuss and he ended up spreading all around some thick soup. Jiro's sister yelled that it was disgusting and that they were going to stain her clothes while her other brother teased her increasing Hikari's annoyance. Chizuko, however, had never been in such lively dinner. Her mother and she used to wait for her father to have dinner together. Her father usually asked her about what she did during the day and what she was studying in high school. After that they ate in complete silence. So, without noticing, she smiled as she watched them bickering.

"Are you my brother's girlfriend?"

"Takaya!" Jiro barked. "Don't be so straightforward! It's so rude to ask that kind of question!"

"What!? You've never brought a girl home before!"

"What surprises me the most is that there is actually someone who is able to bear with you", his sister added.

"Shut up!" Jiro blushed what made Chizuko giggle. He was being adorable.

"I'm not his girlfriend", the middle blocker finally replied. "I'm in the volleyball team, so we are friends"

Takaya narrowed his eyes. "Well but it's seems that's there's something else going on between you two…"

"Takaya, _eat_ ", Jiro grumbled.

But it was impossible to silence the little boy. He wanted to know everything about Chizuko: how old she was, if she had good grades, in what position she played, what she liked doing… Chizuko answered him with honesty despite that Jiro and, especially, Hikari were begging him to stop being such a gossip. But Chizuko wasn't bothered about Takaya's curiosity. She found Takaya adorable and she thought the little boy looked like his big brother a lot.

"Hiraki, could you please bathe Shu-chan and put him into bed? I'll end up cleaning the kitchen and I'll walk Chizuko-chan home"

The teenage girl stood up and took the baby in her arms.

"It's been a pleasure, Hikari-chan", Chizuko waved at her, but Hikari left the kitchen without even looking at her.

Jiro sighed. "Her adolescence is being a nightmare. Please, excuse her"

"It's fine", Chizuko stood up as well to help Jiro clean the dishes.

"You are my guest, Chizuko-chan. How many times do I have to tell you?" Jiro pushed her gently.

Takaya smirked. "When Aimi-nee-san comes home you never treat her like that"

"Don't you have any homework to do?" Jiro looked daggers at his little brother who smiled triumphally.

The sound of the keys opening the door interrupted them. A few seconds later a shoulder-length black-haired young woman entered the kitchen. She sank into a chair and as soon as she did Jiro put a bowl in front of her.

"I'm exhausted. My feet hurt", she took the chopsticks and started to devour the noodles as if she hadn't eaten in years. "Where are Hika-chan and Shu-chan?" She asked with her mouth full of food.

"Hikari is bathing him and she's going to put him into bed too"

Chizuko looked at her astonished. She didn't have any manners. She was eating with her elbows on the table; she made a lot of noise while chewing and talked with her mouth full of food.

Finally, the young woman noticed Chizuko's intense glare and raised her gaze.

"Oh! I haven't seen you before", she blabbered still chewing. "Are you Jiro's girlfriend?"

"She's not my girlfriend!" Jiro spat. "You sure are persistent", he rolled his eyes.

"Oka Chizuko", the middle blocker bowed. "I'm in the volleyball team with Jiro-kun"

"Please, take care of him", she smiled.

"Actually he's the one who is always taking care of all of us"

"You are a very elegant and refined girl", the young woman watched her closely and, suddenly, grinned. "I'm all of these brats' big sister. You can call me Iyo"

Chizuko's eyes widened. An older sister!? How many brothers and sisters Jiro had!? The middle blocker turned around to look at the manager who shrugged and kept cleaning the kitchen.

"Takaya, have you done your homework?" Iyo pointed at the little boy with one of the chopsticks.

"Onee-san, please, don't do that with the chopsticks", Jiro scolded her. "We have a guest!"

Iyo waved her hand up and down. "I'm sure Chizuko-chan doesn't mind about it. So well, Takaya, answer me"

"Yes!" The little boy chirped happily.

"That's my boy!" She tapped her little brother's head. "By the way, I've found this on the table which is in the hall". Iyo showed them a piece of paper. It seemed to be a note. "Has Hikari written it? Her handwriting is terrible!"

The little boy took the piece of paper and read it. "Oh, yes! Well oni-chan and you weren't at home when the doctor called. He wants to know if this appointment is good for you"

"Doctor's appointment?" Iyo blinked confused and she looked at Jiro searching for an explanation.

"We'll discuss this later", Jiro snatched the paper from his brother's hands. Iyo pressed her lips in a thin line and nodded slowly.

"Hikari says that oni-chan isn't feeling well again"

"Stop it, Takaya", Jiro frowned.

"I've tell her that she's a liar, but she says that oni-chan is sweating a lot again and that-"

"I'VE TOLD YOU TO STOP" Jiro smashed his fist on the table, making everyone flinch. The manager face was red due to the anger.

Takaya's eyes watered. The little boy stood up and rushed out of the kitchen. Iyo ran a hand through her hair and sighed. Chizuko could feel the heavy atmosphere, but she didn't know what to say or do without worsening the situation.

"You shouldn't speak to him like that", Iyo took the chopsticks again and continued eating. She didn't seem to be mad, but her cheerful mood had disappeared.

"We are leaving", Jiro grabbed Chizuko's wrist and dragged her out of the kitchen. "I'll walk her home. When I came back, I'll finish cleaning"

Iyo stared at them as they left the kitchen. "You can return whenever you want, Chizuko-chan. You are always welcome"

"Th-Thank you", the middle blocker replied as Jiro pushed her to get out of the house.

The manager slammed the door and started walking with large strides. Chizuko was behind him, trying to keep up with him owing her legs were much shorter than his.

Was Takaya talking about Jiro? Why did he need to go to see a doctor? Jiro seemed furious. Didn't he want anyone to know? Was it really that serious so he wanted to keep it a secret?

"I'm fine"

Chizuko bumped into Jiro's chest. He had suddenly stopped walking, but Chizuko was so concern that she didn't even notice. She raised her gaze. Jiro's brow was slightly furrowed. His face expression was too serious; she hadn't seen him so serious before. He was even frightening.

"I'm fine", he repeated.

"Is it because of your injury?"

"Injury?"

Chizuko frowned. "You told us that you quit soccer because of a severe injury. That's why you couldn't complete your first year in high school"

"Ah… Yes", Jiro clicked his tongue. "It's nothing. Really"

"You shouldn't have treated your brother like that"

"He'll get over it", Jiro scratched his head. "I didn't want him to say anything because I know you were going to worry. Well, you and everyone else in the team"

"If you assure me that I don't have to worry, then I won't worry"

Jiro and Chizuko's eyes met and, then, the middle blocker smiled and so did the manager.

"You are amazing, Chizuko-chan", he patted the top of her head. "Shall we go?"

Chizuko nodded and they walked together through the streets of Sendai. It was completely dark and, although some stores were still opened, there wasn't almost anyone in the streets.

"I didn't know you has so much siblings", Chizuko said, trying to start a conversation.

"It feels cramped sometimes, but it isn't that bad. It's entertaining"

"How old are they?"

"My sister Iyo is the eldest. She's 20. I'm next and then Hikari who is 13. Takaya is 8. Little Shun is 2"

"And your parents?"

"My mom arrives late from the office. She works overtime. We are so many and it's hard to support the family", Jiro made a long pause. "And my father… Well… He abandoned us when Shun was born two years ago. We haven't seen him since then"

"I-I'm s-so sorry"

"Don't. It wasn't a big loss. He used to spend more time away from home than inside home. We overwhelmed him I guess", Jiro scratched his head. "We are much better since he isn't around anymore"

"It has to be hard for you. Especially for your little siblings"

"Not at all. They don't miss him. Hikari and Takaya didn't cry when he left us. They shrugged and said that they wished he would never come back. I would say they are happier now"

Chizuko went silent and lowered her gaze. She wanted to ask more things about Jiro's circumstances, but she was afraid Jiro would get mad at her for asking so many questions when they barely knew each other well.

"And what about you?"

"Me?" Chizuko blinked confused.

"There's no one else near us", Jiro laughed. "Of course I'm talking to you!"

"I… Hmpf…" Chizuko shrugged. "I'm an only child"

"Well, well, well... You are a spoiled child then", he teased.

"No, I'm not", Chizuko replied bluntly.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"More than in a house, I feel like I live in a prison. I have to follow a strict schedule for everything. I have to be perfect, dress perfectly, behave perfectly and have a perfect academic record. What my parents say it's the law and I take their orders without complaining"

Jiro stopped. He stared at her with a serious expression on his face.

"Oh gosh. I-I shouldn't have said that!" Chizuko waved her hands. "Forget it! I-I don't… I…"

"Why don't you rise up against them a little bit?"

"What!?"

"You know, to contradict them for once. Give your opinion from time to time. That doesn't mean you're are a bad daughter"

"I can't do that. I haven't even told them that I broke up with Takeshi-kun!"

"Why haven't you told them?"

"I-I can't!"

"Why? It shouldn't be that complicated"

"Don't make more questions, please, Jiro-kun", Chizuko felt her voice giving out.

"Okay"

Jiro was a hot-headed guy. He felt like hugging Chizuko at that moment and that's what he did. The middle blocker froze, unable to process that a boy -Jiro-kun to be accurate- was hugging her.

 _He smells good_ , she thought and she closed her eyes while putting her arms around his waist to hug him back.

"You can come visit us every time you want"

Chizuko smiled and rested her forehead gently on Jiro's chest. He was always nice to her. He was now offering a place to escape every time she felt overwhelmed by the pressure her parents were always putting on her.

"Oi, Chizuko", the middle blocker raised her head to look at him. "I'm sorry if I sometimes I overwhelm you with my behavior"

She shook her head 'no'. "Don't worry, Jiro-kun"

Jiro stopped hugging her. Chizuko thought that the situation was going to get weird between them after that, but it didn't turn out like that.

While they kept walking, Chizuko glanced at the manager. She wasn't able to figure out what was on his mind. Was Jiro-kun always so kind and affectionate with everyone or did he only act that way when he was alone with her? Amongst all members in the volleyball team, with whom Jiro get along the most was Noa-san. They seemed to be pretty close and the first-year knew him well enough to talk to him in first name basis.

She felt her heart aching. Why did it hurt? She bit her bottom lip.

"Maybe I'll do it", she suddenly said.

"Do what?"

"Rise up against them"

Jiro raised both eyebrows

"I'm serious", Chizuko followed. "I'll tell them that I've broken up with Takeshi-kun"

Jiro's trust gave her some courage to start living for herself. However, she did it because she wanted Jiro to see her differently, as stupid it could be.

"I'm going to change my life!" She clenched her fists.

"And that involves giving up volleyball?"

"W-What?" Chizuko blinked confused by Jiro's sudden change of mood.

"You didn't ask me about the team since we met today", Jiro frowned. Chizuko opened her mouth to answer him, but no sound came out. "They've lost, but that's not the point. We haven't celebrated we are going to Nationals because _you_ weren't there"

"I'll quit", she muttered feeling more insecure than she actually wanted.

"You're not serious. I don't believe you", Jiro frowned. "Is it because you don't want them to see you after what happened? Are you ashamed? That's silly"

"It isn't to me!"

"Furi-chan and Mayu-san want to talk to you to clear up everything. The team is chaos because the twins don't talk to Furi-chan and Mayu-chan while the senpais pretend that everything is fine when that's not true. Mori-san told me that this is something you have to sort out by yourselves, but I have to interfere. It's enough!"

"I live here", Chizuko stopped in front of a luxurious apartment building. "Thanks for walking me home, Aoyama-kun", she said bluntly.

Chizuko turned on her heels, but Jiro grabbed her wrist using more strength than he intended and forced her to look at him.

"Don't play me for a fool! I won't allow it! You won't quit! You love the team!"

Jiro's eyes sparkled with anger and his voice cracked. Chizuko's eyes widened, surprised by how much the manager cared about her… No. She bit her bottom lip. He didn't care about her at all. He always cared about the team. That was his only concern.

"How can you know!?" Chizuko clenched her teeth and shoved Jiro. "If I started playing volleyball it's because my parents wanted to in the first place! Why does everybody think that I can't take my own decisions!? Do you really think I am _that_ useless!?"

"Chizuko…"

"Don't talk to me with such familiarity", she hissed.

Jiro's eyes widened and he stepped backwards to slowly get away from Chizuko.

"Fine. If that's what you want, then that's fine. But I'm begging you, please reconsider this. What I told you during the match against Shiratorizawa is true. I love seeing you shine and when you shine the most it's when you are with the team", he made a brief pause. "I don't think you can't make decisions by yourself. I want you to stay in the team because I want to know you better. So I'll wait until you come back. I will always wait for you, Chizuko-chan"

Jiro didn't wait for an answer. She didn't have to give him a response. He turned around and started walking his way home knowing that Chizuko was still watching him.

Chizuko felt her cheeks burning. _What is wrong with him!?,_ she wondered, trying to hide her reddening face with her hands.

 _"I will always wait for you, Chizuko-chan"_

She smiled shyly as she took out her keys to open the door. She wasn't sure if Jiro had said all that only to make her feel better or if there was something else, but he always found the right words to make her feel at peace. So she will though about it. She'll thought carefully about quitting or not the team. But only because he had asked her.

* * *

 **I don't think I've expressed properly what I wanted to share in this chapter, but well, I gues I tried xD**

 **The title of the next chapter will be 'Not a miracle'. Noa and Mayu will come to support the boys against Shiratorizawa! I won't explain what happens in the whole match because we all know, but Noa might meet Ushijima again! The first and only time they've met was when Noa was looking for Hatsue.**

 **This time I won't be uploading a new character profile. I wanted to upload the new chapter as soon as possible because it's been a long time. I hope I'm able to write Aimi's profile next.**

 **~ See you next time!**


	29. Not a miracle

**A/N: Hello everyone! I'm back, but I have to tell you something important: Until July I won't be able to upload as fast as I want to. I've found a job, I'm still going to my English and Japanese classes (the exams are in May) and I'm finally working hard on my university projects. I wont stop writing this story, but Im so sorry.  
Anyway, thanks to everyone who followed and favorited and is still reading this story. As I said at the end of the last chapter, this chapter will be focused on the match Karasuno vs Shiratorizawa. However, I won't explain in detail what happens because we all know.**

 **jungkookies: Thanks for taking your time reviewing this story. Thanks as well for saying that this story influenced your own stories in the way I make Noa the star instead of shoehorning into the canon. By the way, which of your stories would you recommend me to start with? Obviously I'll read and review them ;)**

 **Enjoy your reading!**

 **I do not own Haikyuu or its characters**

* * *

 **CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT**  
Not a miracle

"What the hell are you doing!? We are going to be late!"

Noa sheeted as she put her hands on her hips. Akiteru was bent down behind a car. He was wearing sunglasses, a white mask, and a cap. But even though Noa was telling him that he was being ridiculous, Akiteru truly believed that it was the best way of going unnoticed. Noa had rolled her eyes. It didn't matter how many times she told him: he would be attracting more attention that way.

"I'll be heading first, okay?" She sighed, feeling hopeless. "A friend is already waiting for me"

When she returned home the previous day, Noa had ran into Akiteru, Tsukishima's older brother. He had found out that Karasuno had managed to get to the Preliminaries final and he wanted to go, but he confessed to Noa that his little brother didn't like him to go to see his matches, he had been forbidden. Noa found that ridiculous as she thought that if Akiteru wanted to go to support his little brother, then, he should go, so she invited him to come with her. She didn't ask Mayu about it, but she guessed the libero wouldn't mind if Akiteru joined them.

Yet, things didn't go as planned. Akiteru had picked her up to walk together, but he had showed up wearing an indescribable outfit. Apparently, he thought that dressing differently he wouldn't catch anyone's attention and, even better, that his brother wouldn't recognize him. Noa wouldn't have mind it if it wasn't because as they approached the gym, Akiretu was starting to behave in a more and more strange way, hiding behind any object. What he didn't realize is that his attitude made him look more suspicious and, no matter how many times Noa told him he looked like a stalker, the young boy didn't seem to get the hint, so Noa finally gave up.

The sport facility was crowded. Despite that, Noa could easily spot Mayu waiting for her in front of the main entrance. As soon as she saw her, her friend waved at her eagerly.

"What a nice day!" Mayu smiled. "I have a good feeling about this match. Have you talk to Sawamura-san? Is he nervous?"

"I didn't see him this morning. As soon as I arrived home, I rushed to bed. I was exhausted after the preliminaries. His mother has woken me up this morning. I think a bomb could have been dropped and I wouldn't have noticed"

Mayu laughed. She had been tired too, but, definitely, her sleep wasn't as deep as Noa's.

"Do you think Ayako-san, Ayaka-san and Chizuko-san are coming?" Mayu wondered.

"I don't know…" Noa lowered her head.

Mayu sighed. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought out the topic", she squeezed gently Noa's arm and grinned. "Let's not think about that today and let's enjoy this!"

They entered the gym. The hallways were crowded, despite that they arrived later than expected because of Akiteru.

"That's a huge band!" Mayu exclaimed.

On the other side of the stands, all the students of Shiratorizawa wearing their school uniforms, were sitting together. Everyone was chanting. Noa was sure that they mere purpose was to frighten Karasuno.

"Ah!" Mayu pointed with her index finger. "They even have cheerleaders! That's what it means to be a powerful school!"

"Don't worry, Mayu-san!" Noa chirped happily. "Our school is ready to cheer for Karasuno too!"

Both girls glanced at the students of Karasuno being conducted by the vice-principal. However, they were poorly organized. The vice-principal was getting mad at them, waving his hands uncontrollably and messing up his wig, so one of the teachers was trying to calm him down. Mayu and Noa exchanged looks and sweat dropped.

"Oh! There they are!" Mayu elbowed Noa. A few meters away from them, their senpais had found good seats. "Hey!" Mayu waved at them.

"You've come too!" Yoshino greeted them cheerfully.

"Well, we are not willing to miss this. I told Noa-san. I have a good feeling about this!"

"That's probably because Yui has given Daichi a charm~" Noriko teased.

"T-That's not it!" Yui blushed.

"Oh! It's Yachi!" Noa spotted her classmate at the bleachers. She was in first row with people she didn't know. "Yachi! Yachi!"

Noa approached Yachi without saying anything to her senpais. Mayu shared an apologetic look to the third-years and went after her friend.

"Noa-san!" Yachi greeted. "I didn't know you were coming"

"Of course, I am! I won't miss this match", Noa tapped Yachi's arm. "You have good seats"

"Do you want to join us?"

"Sure!" Noa turned around. "Do you mind?" She asked Mayu, who shook her head no. "By the way, I don't think I've introduced you properly, but, Yachi-san, this is Shiraiwa Mayu. Mayu-san, she's Yachi Hitoka"

"Nice to meet you", both girls bowed.

"I'm not anyone suspicious!"

"I saw this suspicious guy wandering around!"

Noa's eyes widened. A girl with short blond hair was dragging Akiteru towards them.

"He ran when he saw me, so I caught him!" She barked. "I thought he might be a Shiratorizawa spy!"

"I'm a relative!" He tried to explain. "I'm Tsukishima's older brother", he took off the mask and his sunglasses.

"Tsukishima's brother!?" Two guys shouted at the same time.

"Shhhh. He told me not to come to the match", he whispered.

Tsukishima, on the court, glanced over his shoulders, looking daggers at his older brother, who tried to hide behind the railings, shaking.

"Those two are nothing alike… Especially their personalities"

"What are you doing?" Noa put her hands on her hips. "I told you you were making a scene that way!"

"Shhhhh", Akiteru begged.

"Do you know each other?" The young girl scrutinized Noa. "Who are you?"

"Oh!" Yachi flinched. "She's Furihata Noa-san. She's Sawamura-san's stepsister"

"Daichi's stepsister?" The young girl crossed her arms over her chest and then chuckled. "I didn't know he had a sister! Nice to meet you!" She winked at her. "I'm Tanaka Saeko!"

"Tanaka Saeko? Are you Tanaka's older sister?"

"That's right! Isn't he great?"

"Yes!" Noa's eyes sparkled. "He is! He's awesome!"

"Finally, a girl who appreciates my little brother!" Saeko chirped happily, taking Noa's hands. "I think I like you!"

"Oh. You are in the girls' volleyball team, aren't you?" A black-haired man wearing glasses smiled at them. "I'm Shimada Makoto. I'm Ukai's friend. Congratulations for qualifying to Nationals"

"Yusuke Takinoue!" The other man with short, messy and blond hair smiled. "Congrats!"

"T-Thanks!" Mayu and Noa replied at the same time.

"You are going to Nationals!?" Saeko looked at them surprised. "You girls have some guts!" She put her arms around both girls' shoulders and pulled them closer to her, making them giggle.

"Oh", Mayu blinked several times. "What's wrong with Daichi's face. His cheek is all swollen. I didn't notice it yesterday"

"He told me he crashed into Tanaka while they were facing Wakutani", Noa explained. "He lost a tooth!"

"What!?" Mayu's eyes widened and she stared at Daichi. How could he be able to stand on the court after that?

A few minutes later, the referee blew the whistle and the final started. As expected, Karasuno didn't get a chance against Shiratorizawa during the first set. Noa had never seen a team as powerful as Shiratorizawa before. However, she noticed that in Karasuno every player was trying to get used to their rivals, especially the captain, Ushijima Wakatoshi, who was left-handed. He was a monster, even his serves were terrifying. Daichi and Nishinoya were having trouble to receive.

Suga was switched in, aiming for Ushijima. As they noticed, Shiratorizawa players never let Ushijima receive. Yet, the plan didn't work as Reon, the number 4, stepped in front of his captaind and received. Shiratorizawa scored anyway. However, a few points later, Hinata had everything to score, but Ushijima manged to receive the ball perfectly. Their setter tossed it for him and he spiked powerfully, gaining the winning point. Shiratorizawa won the first set easily.

"They are good", Mayu mumbled. "I thought Ushijima-san couldn't receive, but he's good at receives too"

"Yeah…" Noa hummed. "He is perfect". Noa smiled, focusing on him. _He really is something_ , she thought, feeling her heart aching of excitement.

It seemed that the first set had a good effect on Karasuno. They learnt from their mistakes and started to adjust their timings. They were catching up, but every Shiratorizawa player had its own fighting skills. Their middle blocker, Tendou Satori, was a monster in blocking, managing to stop Hinata and Kageyama's quick attack.

"He's reading all their tosses", Mayu hummed.

Karasuno had to ask for a time out. They semmed to be pretty confident and despite being blocked several times by the number 5, Kageyama and Hinata did one of the craziest and fastes moves anyone had ever seen. Tendou couldn't even react and the crowd burst out with cheers.

Noa laughed. "I think Kageyama really hates losing"

On the other hand, Tsukishima was suprisingly calm. The number 5 didn't stop teasing him, but the first-year didn't react at all. Noa leaned forward, trying to watch more closely the blond middle blocker. He was definetely reading his opponents moves, analyzing them. And it worked because a few points later he stopped Tendou.

Noa furrowed her brow. Surely, Tsukishima had the gift of pissing everyone off, he seemed not to care about volleyball more then necessary, but Noa had the feeling that he was probably the one who was pushing himself the most. He was trying to fight Ushijima.

"Tsukishima going to set the timing for the three-person block"

"How do you know that?" Mayu asked.

"Tsukishima might be a moron, but he's clever and observant"

As Noa thought, Tskushima told Asahi and Kageyama when they should jump. They closed the space and Ushijima was forced to do a straight. Right behind their backs was Nishinoya, who received the spike perfectly. Karasuno attacked and Tsukishima scored.

"Alright!" Everyone yelled.

"It's a tie!"

However, Shiratorizawa got the set point first. But Karasuno didn't surrender and they got a deuce. Next, Kageyama dumped the ball and they had the set point. They exchanged some points, reaching almost 30 points.

 _Tsukishima…,_ Noa thought as she watched him play. He was acting differently. He seemed calm, but he kept pressuring their hitters… No. Noa bit her bottom lip. He was pressuring their setter.

"He sure is persistent", Noa muttered. She wasn't addressing to anyone in particular, but Mayu and Akiteru glanced at her.

Everyone got the same feeling. It was as if the scene was happening in slow motion. The setter of Shiratorizawa had made a mistake, a small mistake that couldn't be perceived by those people who weren't used to playing or watching volleyball. The toss was too low and close to the net. Ushijima, however, spiked the ball, but it crashed into Tsukishima's left hand and it landed on the floor with a thud.

The crowd remained silent for a few seconds, but, when the referee blew the whistle to end the second set, everyone went crazy. Many couldn't believe what they had just witnessed because no one in Miyagi had been able to stop not even one of Ushijima's spikes in such a crushing way.

Mayu and Noa shouted, hugging each other tightly.

"I told you! I have a good feeling about this!"

"Tsukishima! That four-eyes!" Noa squeezed Mayu's arm.

"I think that Kei might have been waiting this whole time for the timing of Shiratorizawa's tosses to skew", Akiteru explained.

"I can't believe he thought that far ahead", Saeko wondered.

"Tsukishima-kun is smart, so I believe that he's always thinking about volleyball, as well as other things", Yachi smiled.

"I'm sure he's pretty obstinate. Sorry about that", Akiteru apologized.

"Oh, no! It's just that at that moment, I think the only thing on Tsukishima-kun's kind mind was stopping that spike. Just purely. Like he was solving a difficult test question"

"Well, let's just not make a fuss over it", Noa added. Akiteru raised an eyebrow. "This game has just started", she smirked.

"You are scary too", Saeko said.

"I still don't know why my brother and you don't get well", Akiteru wondered. "I think that's something he would have said"

The third and fourth set moved along as well. Goshiki was yelled at, Ushijima's spikes were picked up and Shiratorizawa started to realise that Karasuno was a capable opponent. And they clearly showed it. Shiratorizawa still had the upper hand but Karasuno was not going to back down.

Karasuno only needed one more point to win the set. Kageyama didn't toss far enough but through some miracle, Hinata tabbed the ball over the net with his left hand, while his body was going to the right. Shiratorizawa was not prepared for it and nobody was there in time to stop the ball from hitting the ground. The double whistle announced the end of the fourth set. Now it was a tie and the fifth and final set was going to be the toughest one yet.

Mayu noticed that, unlike everyone else, Noa was too quiet. Knowing how the first-year usually behaved, it was normal that she was nervous about the match, but, when Mayu turned to glance at her, she found out that she was surprisingly calm. Noa had her eyes on something, her fingers were pressed against the railing, her knuckles turning white from time to time. Mayu followed Noa's gaze to find out what or who was catching her attention.

Ushijima Wakatoshi.

Mayu furrowed her brow. Was Noa staring only at him? Seriously? The libero looked at her again and, as soon as she analyzed her friend's expression, Mayu's eyes widened. Noa's round eyes sparkled brightly, something Mayu understood as pure admiration. She wanted to ask and, however, she remained silent because she had the feeling that Noa was focused and talking to her would have ruined whatever was going on her mind.

Noa was awestruck by Ushijima. She had never seen anything like that. His presence on court, the confidence with which he spiked each and every one of the tosses… _Confidence._ Noa clicked her tongue unconsciously. She was like that or, at least, she thought she was similar to him. When she played beach volleyball, the other teams respected and admired her even though she was a rival. She was always determined, she didn't have any doubts and, despite her height, she trusted in her own ability, so she never gave up. That was the key to her success. But that was when she was in The United States. Since she had arrived to Japan, Noa felt that she had become a different person, that she had become someone her American self would have despised.

What had happened to her in Japan? What effect did her move and new family have on her? She wasn't blaming anyone. If there was someone guilty it was her. Noa understood, then, that she had already changed as soon as she set foot on Japan. She had stopped being herself, right now she was only containing. She got the impression that all that had happened because she was afraid of not pleasing anyone, of not adapting to her new surroundings. She had made her father understood why she loved volleyball and, despite that, she was still behaving cautiously, as if she was afraid of something.

Noa suddenly chortled. Mayu and Yachi looked at her astonished, but Noa didn't care. As odd as it might seem, she felt that she had taken a weight off her mind. She was starting to understand herself better. She thought she was already an adult, but she was still a child. She ran a hand through her long black hair and raised her gaze, fixing her eyes on the ceiling. Why did she let the most insignificiant things to get to her? Why was she so afraid, afraid of shinning, afraid of becoming someone different? She should start to open up to everyone, but she should be more honest to herself as well. And, of course, she should start beliving in her possibilities. Because she was good, she was _very_ good, and she still had a gift for sports. It couldn't have disappeared overnight.

"He is awesome", she finally said, getting back her attention to what was going on on the court. Mayu and Yachi exchanged looks as they noticed Noa's grin "Ushijima Wakatoshi is truly amazing"

The plays continued with mistakes and good teamwork. The points grew but the gap didn't. Shiratorizawa was the first to reach the 15 point mark and tensión grew, especially with Karasuno.

"Don't you dare look down!" Someone shouted.

This silenced everyone. Noa looked over to the bench to see coach Ukai stand with a big grin on his face.

"Volleyball is a sport were you're always looking up!"

This sparked a fire once again and the team got ready to continue the game. Noa smiled to herself when commotion arose. Tsukishima was jogging back to the court with a big bandage around his hand after getting injured while trying to stop one of Ujishima's powerful spikes. After a break the set continued while Tsukishima stayed on the bench. He was already holding the replacing sign in his hand. The play went well. Karasuno gained their 15h point and Tsukishima was switched in.

Both sides made mistakes and exhaustion was very present to both teams. But both didn't falter and kept attacking. And when the 20th point was reached, it was the final straw. Everyone moved, Hinata jumped, the ball hit past the block, Ushijima caught it. Then their setter tossed it. Ushijima spiked it. The ball hit Hinata, but the ball was still in the air. It was intense. And the fire inside their hearts burned even brighter than before. And a short moment later, the ball bounced off the floor and the referee blew the whistle.

They won.

The hall erupted in a thunderous cheer. The final point went to Karasuno and with it they had won 3 of 5 sets. An imposible feat occurred before everyone's eyes. The fallen powehouse had regained its wings. The aire became static as tears began to fall out of joy and other out of sadness as the thrill of the game just didn't want to fade.

"Thank you very much!" The boys shouted and bowed. All the students clapped for their hard effort.

Noa had never felt happier in her life. She knew how much Daichi had worked, how much he had suffered to make Karasuno a powerhouse again. How much he wanted the crows to fly to Tokyo again. To see him crying while hugging Asahi and Suga made Noa emotional. They didn't realice by then, but they had made history. The boys's and the girls' teams would be in the Spring High Preliminaries.

Noa took off her pocket her mobile phone to take some pictures while they received their medals and she sent them to Daichi's mum, who texted her right away.

"Congratulations!" She yelled as soon as they crossed the gym door after putting everything away and getting changed. Noa ran towards Daichi and hugged him. "I'm so proud of you"

"Noa-san! Noa-san!" Nishinoya bounced around them. "We have won! We have won! Do you know what that means?"

"Uh?" Noa tilted her head.

"The kiss~!" Tanaka and Nishinoya beamed happily.

"Oi!" Daichi frowned.

"Oh yeah! I forgot!" Noa giggled. She put her hands on their shoulders and she kissed them on the cheek.

Maybe everyone was expecting the second-years to make a fuss after that, so everyone was surprised when none of them said a word. Their faces had gone completely blank.

"You've left them speechless, Noa-san", Kiyoko chuckled.

"T-Then I want mine too!" Hinata suddenly beamed flushing immediately.

"I told you I was going to give to each one of you a kiss", Noa smiled.

The other second-years, Ennoshita, Kinoshita and Narita, received their kiss next. Then, it was Yamaguchi's turn, who flushed. After him, it was Hinata, who bounced out of joy. Then it was Suga's turn and, next, Asahi. Suga's smirk made them blush, but that only made the situation more enjoyable for the third-year setter. Even Kiyoko and Yachi were kissed by Noa.

Noa took Kageyama's sleeve and pulled him down, so he had to bend down. When Noa kissed him briefly on the cheek, he snorted, trying to hide his blushing cheeks.

"Are you really thinking about doing it?" Tsukishima grimaced. He was the only one left.

"What do you take me for?" Noa smirked.

Noa punched him slightly in the ribs, but hardly enough to make him double up. That's when Noa approached and kissed him on the cheek. Tsukishima looked daggers at her and she smiled victoriously. Tsukishima grimaced and tried to clean his cheek using the palm of his hand.

"Hey!" Noa frowned.

"I don't want you to infect me with your stupidity"

"You, moron", she hissed.

"There, there", Daichi stepped between them. "We should go now"

They walked together towards the exit. However, Noa stopped when she caught sight of a certain someone. No one seemed to have noticed his presence, but Noa did. She turned her head and her eyes met Ushijima's. His gaze was as intimidating as she remembered when she bumped into him that time, when she was searching for Mori Hatsue. Ushijima started back at her and, as odd as it might have seemed, Noa felt that they were connected by something, but she still didn't know what it was. She then wondered if he still remembered her. Noa pressed her lips in a thin line. Her eyes slowly widened, almost sure thet Ushijima had nodded as if he was answering her question.

"Noa, aren't you coming?"

Noa jumped a little bit. A few meters away Daichi was waiting for her. Noa glanced briefly again, but Ushijima wasn't there anymore.

"Yes!" She finally answered. She ran towards him and caught up with his pace.

"Did something happen?"

"Oh, no. I just thought I had seen someone", she answered simply. "By the way, Daichi. Do you have by any chance videos of matches of Shiratorizawa"

"Yes. Coach Ukai played some of them, so we could study the team. Why?"

"Do you think he would mind lending me those videos?"

"For what?"

"During the match I've seen pretty interesting things to rewatch. I think they could be useful for us"

"Okay. I'll tell him. I don't think he would mind"

Noa smiled. She was dying to keep watching how Ushijima Wakatoshi played.

* * *

 **Yes, this chapter is a bit shorter than usual, but let's say this finishes the Spring High Preliminaries arc and in the next chapter the Training for Nationals Arc (?) starts. It's like a transition chapter.**

 **Next chapter: The power of a smile**

 **~ See you next time!**


	30. The power of a smile

**A/N: Hello! I'm finally back! Sorry for the long wait, but I've been very busy these weeks. However, I'm free from my Japanese classes and summer is around the corner, so I'll have more time to write.**  
 **Thanks to everyone who followed and favorited this story lately. The last chapter was more focused on the Shiratorizawa and Karasuno match, so now it's time to keep progressing with the story.**

 **jungkookies: omg why everyone want Noa to have a love interest? hahaha Okay, here it's the thing: Ushijima will appear soon and he'll have an important role in Noa's developement -at least, thet's what I want to do-. I'm sorry, but I can't spoil anything else. Regarding the many OCs of this sory, I know, there are so many and I'm sorry. I guess it's difficult to remember what happen to all of them especially when my updates are too slow. Sorry about that.**

 **Queen Mo-freakin: First of all, sorry to hear about that. I liked your reviews a lot. They were hilarous. I hope you come back to this story later. Your the first one to tell me that this fanfic is a rollercoaster of emotions. I still have to improve a lot in terms of writing as I'm not English, so I'm aware that some parts of the story feel a bit rushed because I don't know how to properly express myself sometimes. Anyway, i hope to see you around soon!**

 **Enjoy your reading!**

 **I do not own Haikyuu or its characters**

* * *

 **CHAPTER TWENTY NINE**  
The power of a smile

Noa and Mayu dropped the shopping bags on the floor. The muscles of their arms were itching of carrying so much weight. Miyoko was looking at them, smiling brightly as she took of her shoes.

"There, there", she encouraged them. "We are already home. Help me getting all this upstairs now"

"Yes…", Noa said in a monotonous way.

They were enjoying the Sunday. Miyoko and Noa were alone that morning, so Miyoko suggested going shopping for the baby. Noa thought it was a great idea inviting Mayu as she wanted to spend some time together with the libero outside Karasuno and, at the end, Mayu decided to join them.

The three of them spent the morning from shop to shop. Mayu nor Noa could possibly imagine that Daichi's mother could be such a shopaholic, so they ended up carrying more bags than they initially expected.

Once they arrived home and went upstairs, they took out the clothes from the bags and started to put them away in the drawers. They still didn't know the sex of the baby because Miyoko was waiting for everyone to go together to the doctor and find out in family if it was a boy or a girl. However, it had been impossible to coincide, but Miyoko wasn't willing to lose hope. If the baby they were expecting ended up being a boy, it would be the baby boy with more clothes on Earth. Miyoko still had some of Daichi's clothes when he was a baby and the numerous cousins Daichi had were also willing to lend them some clothes if necessary.

Once they finished, Noa and Mayu went downstairs to start making lunch while Miyoko rested for a bit before going to work as she was exhausted after having spent all morning walking.

Noa and Mayu prepared a seaweed salad, cooked some rice and fried some fish. When Miyoko entered the kitchen, she was already wearing the restaurant uniform, ready to go to work.

"Aren't you going to eat anything?" Noa asked while she brought out the fridge some miso so Mayu could finished preparing the soup.

"Mmm", Miyoko answered grimacing. "I feel nauseous"

"You should eat something before going to work, Miyoko-san"

"Don't worry, Noa-chan", the woman smiled. "I'll have something at the restaurant. I'm the manager after all"

She winked at them and left, but both girls exchanged concerned looks. She wasn't looking good.

"Do you really think she'll be fine?" Mayu asked.

"I hope so. She's having some trouble with the pregnancy and I think she's trying to hide it from us, but I don't want to be very persistent. I guess she doesn't want us to be worried about it. I supposed it's normal", Noa shrugged while she set the table. "My father isn't coming today. He's staying at his office because tomorrow he has an important trial", she explained to Mayu before she could ask.

"And Sawamura-san?"

"No. At the end I stayed at home"

Both girls jumped a little bit when they heard a male voice behind their backs. Daichi got in the kitchen and had a seat. He was wearing sport trousers and a plain t-shirt and his short hair was a mess.

"It smells good", he said licking his lips. "I'm starving. I've spent all morning studying"

"You could have said something! We didn't know you were here", Noa scolded him. "We had to carry out a lot of shopping bags. Your mom has gone crazy buying things for the baby"

Daichi rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry, sorry"

Noa took another pair of chopsticks and a bowl for Daichi. Afterwards, Noa and Mayu finished setting the table and they also took a seat.

"How are you doing with the training?" Daichi asked as he served to himself some rice.

"Hatsue has already sent us the new training exercises. We'll be starting tomorrow", Noa explained. "She's very busy this week, but on Thursday she can come to practice, so she told us that she has prepared something special for us"

"And you don't know what it could be?"

"No idea", Noa shrugged. "But we really looking forward to it. Right, Mayu-san?" Noa asked her best friend who had been quiet since Daichi appeared. The libero nodded shyly. "Yui-san and Yoshino-san exchanged emails with the captain and vice-captain of Niiyama, so we can have some practice match before Nationals"

"Niiyama!?" Daichi's eyes widened, impressed. "Michimiya didn't mention anything about it"

"Yes. They were nice. They told us that they can help us and explain us how Nationals work"

"How lucky", Daichi mumbled.

"Well… We still need money to go to Tokyo. If we don't save enough, we can't go"

"Yeah… I know", Daichi sighed. "We don't have it either, but Yachi has already made a poster to raise some money"

"Now that you are going to nationals, I'm sure the funds have shoot up", Mayu hummed.

"Maybe we could do the same", Noa wondered.

"You're right. We can propose that to the team. Even though I have the feeling that Jiro-kun would be the only one who could be successful on this"

"Yes… He's pretty stubborn sometimes", Noa hummed.

"That Jiro-kun is your manager?" Daichi asked. Noa and Mayu nodded. "He seems to be very dedicated to the team. He's been already nagging around Kiyoko-san telling her that you'll win the race during the Sports Festival"

"Are you kidding me?" Noa raised an eyebrow.

"W-Wait", Mayu blinked confused. "Since when Jiro-kun talks to Shimizu-san!?"

"Apparently, he approached her because they are both managers of volleyball teams", Daichi shrugged. "I don't know. Sorry for saying this. He might be your manager, but he's a little bit weird"

"You can say it freely, Daichi. He is the weirdest person on Earth"

"That's a bit exaggerated, Noa-san", Mayu smiled shyly. "But yes, I guess he's special"

"Special?" Daichi chuckled. "That sounds much worse"

"By the way, I guess you are participating also in the relay race", Noa sipped some tea.

"Yes. Hinata, Kageyama, Nishinoya and Tanaka will be running"

"Aren't Hinata and Kageyama too competitive between them to run together?" Noa asked.

"They are competing for the volleyball team and it's a relay race. It's not about competing between them"

"I guess you are right"

The rest of the lunch, they chatted about the classes and the teachers. Once they finished lunch, they started to clean the kitchen together, but they stopped when the phone rang.

"I'll take it~!" Noa chirped happily as she rushed toward the living room.

Daichi and Mayu waited. They didn't know who Noa was talking to, but they heard her chatting happily with someone for a few seconds. From time to time, Noa giggled what made Daichi and Mayu exchange looks out of curiosity.

Daichi!" Noa suddenly yelled. "It's Sugawara!" She informed, entering the kitchen again.

"Do you have to yell like that?" He scolded her. "I think everyone in the neighborhood has got the message!"

"Yes, yes", Noa waved her hand, ignoring Daichi who left the kitchen grumbling.

Mayu giggled. "You are already acting like if you were actually siblings"

"We still argue a lot and most of the time due to nonsenses", Noa took a cloth to dry the dishes and put them away in the kitchen wardrobes.

"Noa-san, I'm an only child, so I don't have a saying on this, but I think it's like that how siblings behave most of the time"

"And so?" Noa asked glancing over her shoulder. Daichi was already back in the kitchen.

"I'm going to get dressed and then I'll be going to his house", Daichi informed. "You'll be here alone"

"Please…" Noa rolled her eyes, being aware of what he actually meant. "You are worse than my father", she threw the cloth at him, but Daichi easily caught it. "Don't worry. We'll think about something"

"You are so tempered sometimes", Daichi smirked and then rushed upstairs to get ready.

"What do you want to do then?" Noa asked Mayu.

The libero shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe we could watch a movie?"

"Nah…" Noa scratched her head. "The weather is nice today to stay at home, isn't it?" She approached the window and looked through it. They were already in October, but it was a sunny day.

"If you feel like going out, why don't you say it directly?"

The sound of footsteps going downstairs warned them that Daichi had to be ready to go to Sugawara's house. He peeked his head through the kitchen door and waved at them.

"I'm leaving. I don't know when I'll be back"

"Text me if you'll have dinner outside", Noa asked. "Your mother is working today, so I'll make dinner"

"Why my mother is working so much? I don't think it'ss good for her to work so much being pregnant at her age"

"Why are you asking me?" Noa raised both eyebrows. "It's your mom, not mine"

"It's a rhetorical question you know", Daichi replied and Noa stuck her tongue out as a response. "By the way, I spoke with Ukai-san. He told me that he has already done a copy of the videos of Ushiwaka, so you can already come over the store to take them"

"Oh. Great!" Noa's eyes sparkled.

"Ushiwaka? You mean Ushijima!?" Mayu looked at Noa surprised.

"Okay, I'm leaving then. Bye, Shiraiwa-san. Have fun"

Mayu bowed to say goodbye, but, as soon as Daichi said that, he turned around and left. A few seconds later, after putting on his shoes, silence followed the sound of the entrance door closing, lasting for an instant.

"Let's get out of here too", Noa finally said.

Noa stood up. Mayu followed her towards the living room, where they had left their jackets. Despite it was sunny, they were already in autumn and the temperature had dropped considerably.

They walked aimlessly for several minutes. They didn't know where they wanted to go, but they were sure that they didn't want to stay at the same place for a long time. Unlike the third-years, they didn't have to worry for the exams yet, so they preferred to enjoy their free time before they had to start their new training schedule. Afterwards, they would only have to think in getting ready for Nationals.

"Are you going to explain me what means that entire Ushijima thing?" Mayu glanced at her best friend and Noa grinned.

"Well, the videos are not only about Ushijima. They are about Shiratorizawa in general", Noa made a brief pause. "But yes, I want those videos mainly for Ushijima"

Mayu stopped on her tracks and stared at Noa, her mouth dropping. The first-year blinked confused until she burrowed her frown, finally understanding that whatever Mayu was thinking she was getting the wrong idea.

"It's not what you think. He only inspired me"

"He inspired you!? That's why you were staring so awestruck at him during the final!?"

"Stop it! I told you it's not what you think!" Noa put her hands on her hips. "Let's say I had kind of an epiphany, he opened my eyes"

Mayu raised an eyebrow and Noa scratched her head, trying to find the right words to explain what she felt.

"It's hard to understand. I don't even know how to explain it. But, when I saw him playing, it was like if something that was kept sleeping inside of me had suddenly woken up", Noa confessed. "Since I arrived to Japan, I felt trapped. I wasn't being myself. I was putting so much effort into fitting in, being liked, making the volleyball club succeed because I forced everyone to commit with the team too. But I guess that kind of behavior took its toll on me". Noa could almost see the huge question mark plastered on Mayu's face, but, despite that, she continued. "When I saw him, I realized that that's how I was before, when I lived in the United States. Well, it's obvious that I'm a girl, so I don't have his physique, but I was strong and I could pass through any barrier. I don't understand exactly what is holding me here, what I've just explained to you is only speculation. But I'm certain that watching him play I can find that part of myself I've lost"

Mayu went silent during several seconds, thinking carefully about what Noa had told her. Yet, she only came to one conclusion: "You are so weird"

"I know", Noa chuckled. "You have to go through it to understand what I felt when I saw Ushijima play. But I feel like a different person. It's like if I had taken some weight off of my shoulders. I'm starting to do things I was afraid of, so I got in touch again with Lizzie, my best friend in California, and with my mother"

"And what did they tell you?"

"I don't know yet. I've written to Lizzie a couple of emails, so I hope she finally answers me. We had a huge argument. I guess distance dents relationships. But I don't want to lose her friendship either. So I'll keep insisting. She's a bit stubborn, just like me -although she's even more stubborn than me- but I know she'll finally give up and she'll answer"

"And your mom?"

Noa went silent. Mayu realized that she had just touched on a very significant point. The truth was that, despite considering Noa her best friend, she didn't know absolutely anything about her previous life in the United States.

"You don't have to talk to me about her if you don't want to", the libero apologized.

"No. It's fine. We are friends", Noa smiled, but Mayu felt her heart aching as soon as she saw her friend's expression. There was something wrong in that smile.

"My mom has some problems. "It's the easiest way to explain it. So my father has got my custody and that's why I came to live to Japan", she briefly explained. "She's not the best mother in the world, but she is my mother and I want things to work out between us. I called her a couple of times, but she isn't picking up. I hope she is doing fine…"

Noa sighed. She seemed worried.

"I'm sure she's fine", Mayu showed a reassuring smile.

"I hope so. I'm worried about her health. She… She isn't well"

"Is she ill?"

Noa nodded and swallowed hard. It didn't matter who she spoked to about it, she never felt comfortable and ready to express out loud what was happening to her mother.

"She… She has some mental issues", she answered almost whispering. She wasn't ashamed by her mother's condition, but she hated people's reactions when they found out about it. Mayu, however, unlike any other people, didn't change her face expression, so Noa decided to keep going. "Bipolar disorder", she made a pause. "I think?" She scratched her head, feeling a bit uncomfortable.

"You think?"

"Yeah. Well… She has never been diagnosed, but that's what my father and the whole family believes. She started to behave strangely when I was born. She has never gone to the doctor and she has the bad habit of self-medicating. My father found this out by accident and he worked hard so I could go back to Japan and stay with him"

"I'm so sorry you had to experience all that. It must have been terrible for you"

"No. It's wasn't", Noa admitted. "My mom was never at home and, when she was, she had two moods: loving me or hating me. There wasn't a happy medium. But, when she was in high spirits, she was a fantastic mom", Noa smiled, but Mayu didn't. "I know it's hard to understand. I've always had the feeling that my father hated me because I was going to end up becoming her and, if I'm honest, I don't want to become her at all"

"I don't know your mom, but I don't think you look like her", Mayu tapped her arm gently to comfort her.

"Actually, I look like my father. I don't know what's worse", she joked, making Mayu smile. "I don't know what a true family was until I met Miyoko-san and Daichi"

"You know what I think?" Mayu glanced at her. "I think that you are right. When you arrived to Japan, you felt overwhelmed by your personal circumstances. You thought you needed to fit in as soon as possible in the new environment, that you should throw way your feelings so people wouldn't judge you for what you had to go through. You put so much weight in your shoulders even though you didn't have to. I think that seeing Ushijima shine you remembered you that you used volleyball as a way to escape when you were in the United States. But volleyball in Japan isn't like that anymore. You are playing volleyball here to enjoy it hundred percent. That's the main difference"

Noa thought about it carefully. "You might be right. Once my father understood that I truly wanted to play volleyball, everything has ran smoothly"

"And you are insisting on making things complicated", Mayu ruffled Noa's hair, making the firs-year giggle. "Okay. Let's go now to Ukai-san's!"

They walked towards Ukai family's store. As soon as they got in, the coach of the volleyball team greeted them with a smile.

"Welcome"

"Ah. Umm…" Noa cleared her throat" I'm-"

"I know who you are", he chuckled. "You are Sawamura's sister, aren't you?"

"Well, we are not exactly-"

"There", he cut her off again. Ukai put on the counter a DVD. "He told me you wanted videos of Shiratorizawa, especially of Ushijima. May I know why?"

"I play volleyball too. I think I can learn a lot from him", Noa replied, quickly grabbing the DVD and putting it on her bag.

"Mmm…" Ukai hummed and crossed his arms. "Don't exert yourself. Ushijima is different"

"I know", Noa smiled. "I don't intend to copy him", she bowed.

Ukai threw them a meat bun to each other that they took in the air.

"Eat well to get ready for Nationals"

"We will!" Both girls beamed enthusiastically.

Walking down the street, Mayu and Noa enjoyed the hot meat bun.

"He is nice", Mayu mumbled as she finished it.

"Oh! I can't believe we have run into you!"

Noa and Mayu raised their gazes. Jiro and Nagisa were leaving a shop. Noa wasn't sure about it, but she could almost swear that was the first time she had seen both boys without their uniforms. Their looks were similar, but Nagisa looked like a model of one of those fancy magazines. _He is so stylish_ , both girls thought at the same time.

"What are you doing?" Jiro asked.

"I've been helping Noa-san and her stepmother; we've been doing some shopping for the baby and then I stayed to have lunch"

"Oh that's great! We are doing some shopping now too! It's Aimi-nee-san's birthday next week"

"And have you finally found the perfect present for her?"

"Nope", Jiro shrugged. "I don't know what kind of clothes to choose. That's why I asked Nagi-chan to come with me, but he's not helping me at all", he whined.

"That's because you are not following my advice", Nagisa replied as stoic as ever.

"Why don't you help me too?" Jiro asked, ignoring Nagisa, who didn't seem to care at all either.

Mayu y Noa exchanged looks and shrugged.

"Why not?" Noa answered. "We have nothing to do"

"But I don't know if we can be of much help. We don't know what Aimi-san likes", Mayu added.

"It's doesn't matter!" Jiro put his arms around of each other girls' shoulders. "It would be funnier if we go all together!"

Jiro started to walk and both girls were forced to move. Noa glanced over her shoulder discreetly. Nagisa was walking behind them, his hands in his pockets. As they walked past people, men and women turned around to look at him, but he behaved as stoic as ever. It was astonishing the effect Nagisa caused in everyone and he didn't even seem to care.

They went into many clothing stores, but they didn't found anything to please Jiro's liking. The manager wanted something elegant and sophisticated -that was the way he saw Aimi-, but anything Nagisa, Noa or Mayu proposed he didn't like it or it wasn't good enough for her. Nagisa was starting to get mad at him, while Mayu and Noa felt mentally exhausted.

"I hate shopping and you are torturing me!" Noa barked. They had just left one more store. They had already entered every clothing store of the main street of the commercial area.

"It's not my fault if nothing is perfect for her!"

"We have suggested lots of things! You are doing it on purpose!" Noa pointed at him in an accusing way.

"That's enough", Mayu put her hands on her hips. "Jiro-kun, it's impossible that you don't like anything", she added, trying to be more reasonable than Noa.

"But giving clothes as a present is so cold…" He whined.

"For God's sake…" Mayu sighed while Nagisa and Noa rolled their eyes. If he thought that about giving clothes as a present he should have said it in the first place. They had spent so much time going from one clothing store to another for nothing. "It's fine", she clapped her hands and smiled cheerfully. "I know a thrift shop where they sell handmade stuff. We'll go there, alright?"

Jiro wasn't very pleased about it, but he accepted anyway. After wandering for about 15 minutes, they arrived to a residential area. In a two-story house, they first floor served as a small shop. When they opened the door, a bell tinkled warning about their presence. A woman in her fifties leaned out the counter and welcomed them with a warm smile.

Noa looked around. The place was well-decorated. The majority of the objects displayed were carved in different types of wood. Iron-wrought clocks and plants with colorful flowers hung on the walls. The light filtered through two large windows and projected colored lights in all directions when the sun's rays pierced the crystals of the lamps that hung from the ceiling.

The place was full of stuff. There were furniture, notebooks, pencils, diaries, watches, jewelry… All of that displayed with the smallest detail. Noa noticed then some colored rope bracelets that were closed with a metallic hook. The girl bent down to have a better look and a smile appeared on her face.

"Do you like them, Furihata-san?"

Noa jumped a little bit when she heard a voice behind, hitting her knee with the table on which the bracelets were exposed.

"Are you okay?" Nagisa approached her to make sure that she hadn't hurt herself.

"Yeah, I'm fine", Noa cleared her throat a couple of times, trying to regain composure.

"I'm sorry I've scared you"

"It's fine", she smiled, feeling a bit embarrassed. "It's a very beautiful place. It's seems like a fairy tale. I was completely absorbed by everything"

"Do you like those bracelets?"

"Yes, but not for me", Noa took one of them. "I'll buy it for Daichi"

"Do you mean Sawamura-san?"

"He gave me a beautiful orange ribbon that I wear during matches and it's been a lucky item since them. I just want to be grateful to him", Noa explained, even though Nagisa thought that she didn't have to, but he preferred not to say it out loud.

"You have such a good relationship"

"During all this time, we have had our ups and downs, but yeah", Noa smiled. "It's funny to live with so many people"

Nagisa opened his mouth to ask her if she lived only with her mother when she was in the United States, but Jiro interrupted them.

"I found it!" He showed them a watch. The crystal sphere was a little oval and the strap was two braided burgundy strings. "What do you think?"

"It's beautiful", Nagisa nodded. "She's going to like it a lot"

"Yay!" He chirped happily. "Are you buying that, Furi-chan?"

"Oh, yes! It's for Daichi"

"What a good little sister you are, Furi-chan~" Jiro tapped the top of her head.

"I'm not!" She blushed.

The woman who had welcomed them when they entered the store was waiting for them behind the counter, showing a huge warm smile. After charging them a more than reasonable price, she wrapped both presents with care and put the final touch with a satin bow.

"Do you have to go home? Do you want to eat something?" Jiro asked once they left the shop.

"Yes, please! I'm starving!" Noa beamed happily.

"Really? We had lunch only a couple of hours ago", Mayu said.

"That's enough time to digest it!"

"It's settled then!" Jiro clapped his hands enthusiastically.

Jiro led them through the streets until they returned to the main street of the commercial area. However, he ended up taking another path and they went deep into some streets until they arrived to a huge park not very crowed even though the weather was nice that day.

"In that stand they sell the best ice creams on the planet", Jiro pointed forward. There was a small traveling stall between two cherry trees. Two girls were buying food there and licking their lips while the seller prepared some waffles with ice cream.

"It's not the ice cream season, you know" Mayu raised an eyebrow.

"I want ice cream!" Noa hopped towards the stand and Jiro followed her. Both read a blackboard in which there was written in white chalk what they could order.

Mayu sighed. "They are like children. Don't you think, Watanabe-san?" The libero glanced at him and smiled at him before joining Jiro and Noa.

Noa ordered a two-flavored ice cream: strawberry and cream, placed in a cookie cone. Mayu and Jiro ordered a waffle with chocolate syrup. Nagisa ordered a vanilla-flavored ice cream, but in a small tub of ice cream.

"It's too big, Furihata-san. The two ice cream scoops are too big for that cone", Nagisa warned her, but she only stuck her tongue out.

Once everyone had their orders; they walked towards a bench to have a seat. The shadow of no tree reached it and so they could enjoy the heat of the sun's rays in the little time they had before the sun began to hide.

"Whao! This is delicious!" Noa's cheeks went pink and her eyes sparkled with awe.

Jiro y Mayu laughed.

"Why are you making that face?" Mayu asked, still laughing.

"Because it's so good!" She closed her eyes, enjoying the flavor.

"Try the waffles then, Furi-chan!" Jiro stretched his arm towards Noa and she had a bite of his waffle.

"It's so sweet!" Noa startled. "Everything is delicious! But this has to be kept as a secret! We are breaking our diets!"

" _You two_ , Mayu-chan and you, _are_ breaking _your_ diets, not me", Jiro smirked. "If Mori-san finds out, she'll kill you. Now I'll have something to blackmail you. You'll be my slaves!" he chortled.

"Hey!" Noa and Mayu kicked him. Jiro moaned, but, despite that, he couldn't help but laugh.

"I'm sorry to be the one who interrupts your moment of fun, but have you already talked to Oka-san?" Nagisa watched them with a serious expression. Jiro, Mayu and Noa remained motionless and, finally, the two girls lowered their heads. "I only know what Jiro-kun has told me, but Oka-san didn't come to play against Niiyama. You do not have to be very observant anyway to know that something happened"

"Chizuko-chan wants to leave the team", Jiro suddenly blurted out.

"What!?" Mayu and Noa spoked at unison.

"How do you know!? Did you talk to her? She isn't picking Noa's and my calls and she doesn't answer our emails!"

"I ran into her the day of the final against Niiyama and she told me"

"And what did you tell her!?" Noa insisted so Jiro could be more specific.

"I was pretty honest to her. I don't want her to leave the team and I know that deep down she doesn't want to. I asked her to think about it carefully"

"Maybe we should look for her during the lunch break and talk to her", Noa suggested to Mayu. "We have to do something. We have to sincerely apologize. Chizuko-san is the future captain!"

"Can I have a say about this?" Nagisa said. Jiro, Noa and Mayu turned to look at him. "I don't think you should. I don't know well Oka-san, but from what I've been able to notice, she's a girl with a strong personality despite her shyness and kindness. I think you should leave her some space. I get the feeling that she will listen to Jiro-kun and will be back to the team"

"Nagi-chan", Jiro pretended he was wiping a tear from his face, touched by Nagisa's words.

"I hope so", Noa sighed.

Nagisa watched the three of them. Jiro, Noa and Mayu seemed somewhat depressed after having brought up the subject of Chizuko and a heavy silence settled between them. He did not know what was going through each of their minds, but he was sure that they weren't having very positive thoughts because the environment had become somewhat heavy. He had to do something to improve it.

"I'm sorry for having brought up the issue", he apologized in the first place. "Let's talk about something else, alright?"

Jiro, Noa and Mayu nodded eagerly, but none of them opened their mouths to say something. Nagisa sighed. He should be the one to change the topic.

"I've seen you've already chosen who is going to run in the relay race of the Sports Day. Have you trained, Furihata-san?"

"Well… Not much", Noa scratched her head a little bit ashamed. "We aren't very interested either"

"That's a pity. I think you should. The high school is giving a prize to the winner club"

"Really?" Suddenly, Jiro, Mayu and Noa's attention increased.

"This year the high school is giving a box of energy drinks for the winning team in both categories, boys and girls. It isn't much, but it is more than other years as the high school didn't give anything"

"Then, we have to win!" Jiro raised his fist with determination. "The honor of our club is at stake!" he turned to look at Nagisa. "Tell us, Nagi-chan, who are going to be the rivals of my girls?"

"My girls?" Mayu raised an eyebrow.

"I can't tell you", Nagisa crossed his arms. "That would be unfair for the other teams"

"But I'm your friend! _I am_!" Jiro leaned towards him. "I'm your best friend!"

"No", Nagisa didn't even react to Jiro's closeness.

"Oh! Come on, Nagisa-san!" Noa begged him. "We still have to find funds for the trip, at least let us enjoy a little bit. Give us a chance of winning the race! A chance of finding happiness!"

"Don't be so dramatic, Furihata-san. That's a pathetic excuse"

"You are so mean!" Noa pointed at him using her ice cream in an accusing way. "When we'll lose and be sad and desolate because of you, because you did not help us, it will be on your head", Noa grinned triumphantly.

The girl then gave a lick to her ice cream and, in doing so; the two ice cream scoops fell to the ground. She watched them carefully squashed against the ground, as if she could not believe what had just happened. Mayu and Jiro grimaced at the sight of the ice cream completely useless. And suddenly, Nagisa burst out laughing.

Noa and Mayu blinked in confusion. Until then, they had not seen the boy laugh like that. And he had the prettiest laugh they had ever heard. Soft, young and fresh. While laughing, his eyes were closed and small wrinkles had formed on his nose. _He is handsome even when he hysterically laughs_ , Mayu thought.

"How can you be so mean!?" Noa glared at him, being completely outraged by Nagisa's laughter which didn't stop.

"I'm sorry", Nagisa apologized still laughing. "But you should have seen your face. It was hilarious!"

Noa jumped against him and both started to fight playfully. Noa was trying to steal his ice cream instead while Nagisa, still laughing, was trying to resist. Mayu smiled because that was the first time that she saw the always serious vice president of the student council enjoy. His expression was different. He looked more like a boy of his age, a more accessible person than the boy who seemed to look down on everyone. He was human after all, not an expressionless robot.

"It's been a long time since the last time I saw him laugh like that", Jiro hummed after approaching Mayu. She glanced at him curiously. "Until now, I had been the only one to see that side of him and the only one to make him laugh like this", Jiro made a pause. "But I'm glad that there's someone else capable of doing it"

Mayu watched Jiro's smiled. He then clapped his hands to catch Nagisa and Noa's attention.

"There, there. You are stealing all the fun", he teased.

"Furihata-san, please, stop", Nagisa stepped away from her, trying to gain composure. He combed his bangs with a graceful move of his head.

"Nagisa-san, you look beautiful when you laugh. You should do it more", Noa said, smiling nonchalantly. She found wonderful to have been able to make him laugh like that and to hear what his laughter was like. It was a totally unknown side of the boy. And it might seem strange, but she felt much better with herself after that. It was truly amazing what making someone laugh could do to someone's soul.

Noa, however, went blank as soon as she noticed Jiro, Mayu and Nagisa's eyes on her. She suddenly realized what she had just said.

"I-I…" She blabbered, feeling how her cheeks were starting to burn. "I-It's not what… It's just that…"

"Furi-chan, you are adorable!" Jiro laughed.

"S-Shut up!" She mumbled, blushing.

"Your face is getting red!" The manager laughed even louder.

"That's not true!"

"Yes! It is!" he teased her. "You don't have to be ashamed of what you said. Nagi-chan is a very handsome boy"

"Oh! Shut up!" Noa tried to kick him, but he dodged easily.

"You are going to make me drop my waffle!"

Jiro ran away and Noa was after him telling him all kind of insults about how stupid he was and how stupid he always made her feel, what did nothing but arouse laughter in the manager.

At the end, Jiro tripped and the waffle fell to the ground. The boy moaned and fell to his knees, a dark aura surrounding him, while Noa insisted that that had happened to him because of karma.

Mayu chuckled. "I take back what I said before. They are not like children, they are worse than children"

"May I ask you something, Shiraiwa-san?" She glanced at Nagisa. He had his eyes set on Jiro and Noa. He was staring at them intently, what made Mayu swallow hard. "You live far away from here, don't you?"

"That's right. I live in the city outskirts", she replied, not understanding the meaning of that question.

"Would you mind if I walk you home then?" Nagisa turned around to set his amber-colored eyes on Mayu.

She shook her head no. She felt the beating of his heart speed up. She did not think that someone like Watanabe Nagisa was interested in her -in fact, she wasn't interested in him in the least, neither he nor any other boy, to be honest-, so she supposed that he wanted to talk about something with her alone, probably something important because he had told her that when Jiro and Noa couldn't hear them.

"N-No. I don't care at all", she finally answered.

"Fine", the corners of his lips curled slightly upwards in a smile almost imperceptible, but which didn't' go unnoticed by Mayu.

 _He doesn't to talk to me about something_ , she wondered _, but about someone_ , she concluded as she glanced at Jiro and Noa again. _But who?_

* * *

 **I hope you liked this chapter. The following chapters will be more focused on the characters' antics and the next one will be about the Sports Day event in Karasuno high school. Its title is: Spark.**

 **By the way, I'm back with the characters profile. There are still three left.**

* * *

 **CHARACTER PROFILE**  
WATANABE AIMI

 **Complete name:** Watanabe Aimi

 **Date of birth:** October 7th

 **Age:** 21

 **Height:** 173.8 cm

 **Weight:** 59 kg

 **Appearance:** Aimi has amber-colored eyes and shoulder-length blonde hair that is usually leaves loose. She is tall, so her legs and arms are long.

 **Personality:** Aimi takes exceptional pride in her appearance and is very confident in her sex appeal, but she never show off about it. Despite this superficial attitude, she is a clever, kind, and genuinely caring person. She likes to take care of everyone and specially her little brother, even though he doesn't let her and Jiro as she considered him as her own family. Aimi doesn't freak out at Jiro's antics, unlike everyone else. On the other hand, she doesn't like volleyball and don't understand it, but she always keeps her promises, so she'll keep supporting Karasuno girls' volleyball team.

 **Occupation:** University student. She's doing an internship in a major hotel chain

 **Favorite food:** Chirimen Jako

 **Goals:** To get a promotion

 **Current concern:** She wants to help the team to get some funding to go to Tokyo, so she'll work hard!

* * *

 **~ See you next time!**


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